Rescue Me
by sitarra
Summary: "Sometimes I wonder how we ever came to be but without you I'm incomplete"
1. I Found a Girl

Summary: What could an NFL quarterback and a police officer possibly have in common?

A/N: So here's a little something I've been working on for the past few months. It started with one simple idea and branched into something muuuuuuch bigger. It's been my pride and joy and something that I was really just writing for myself but I've decided to share it.

It's an AU story, which are typically my preference to write just because there's so much freedom. I've decided to write the story in the somewhat present day but with some age changes. This first chapter is short and just there to test the waters. If people like it, the next one will be on the way shortly :)

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**March 2, 2011**

"Frank, I am not going into work today. It's my day off and I plan to enjoy it."

"Come on, Olivia. We can get some of that paperwork done. We still haven't completed it from that DV the other night."

Olivia sighed exasperatedly. "I thought you took care of that, Frank."

On the other end of the phone, Frank Fontana rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well, I was going to but then something came up."

"What?"

"An invitation to the bar."

"Frank," Olivia sighed and rolled her eyes. She rubbed her forehead before looking out the window. It was the perfect day. It was unseasonably warm and her first real day off in two months. The sun was shining and she had already made a date with the jogging path in Central Park.

"I'm finishing it by myself, aren't I?"

"Yeah. Have fun with that, Fontana. See you tomorrow."

She hung up before he could say anything else. She loved her partner but sometimes she felt she would get more done without him. Frank Fontana had been her partner for three years. He was the second partner she had ever had. Her first partner had transferred units after he got a promotion of sorts to Narcotics. She had already known Frank from around the unit but had never really worked with him before their captain decided to partner them up. He wasn't a bad partner but he didn't always use his common sense. He was alright for a temporary situation as far as Olivia was concerned. She was training to become a detective as soon as possible. She had already put in her five years and now she was just waiting for the exam dates to be announced.

Tying her shoe laces, she checked her iPod again to make sure it had a full charge before slipping it into the pocket of her light sweatshirt. Grabbing her keys off the table, she made her way out the door.

**EO**

He tossed the football up in the air a few times, spinning it and watching it land in his hands. He let his eyes run over the field, checking his options. It had rained a few days before so he wanted to avoid running through the left side. It would probably be nothing but mud and with his luck, he'd slip and fall.

"Yo, Mr. Quarterback! Let's go!"

He also wanted to make sure he went for the trick knee on Shaun.

"All right, let's bring it in!" he shouted, gathering his team for a huddle. His buddies huddled around, waiting for the call. "V, go long. Trey, Rob and I will hold Shaun and the others long enough for you to throw it downfield to V. Let's make a touchdown, guys."

After a chorus of 'break!,' the men took their positions on their makeshift football field. Trey stood back and looked at everyone's positioning. After he was satisfied, he started the count. "Blue 42! Blue 42! Hike!"

There was a clash of bodies as Elliot and Rob tried to block Shaun and his friend Tyler from getting to their quarterback. Victor took off down the field, Jaime close behind. Josh and Matt took off down the field on the opposite side as Victor and Jaime. Matt was trailing Josh too closely so Trey turned to Victor's position. Jaime was nowhere near him. He lobbed the ball down field, the ball spiraling in a perfect arc before connecting with Victor's hands. His feet took off in double time as he raced for their designated goal line.

"Wooo!" he shouted, racing across the grass. He slammed the ball to the ground and began to salsa in the end zone. "And that's how it's done, baby!"

"Yeah, baby!" Elliot shouted, ruffling his friend's hair. "Take a lesson, Shaun."

"Man, you guys got pro-ballers on your team. Of course you're gonna score," Shaun attempted to rationalize.

"Keep telling yourself that, buddy. Maybe one of these days that'll get you a touchdown."

They all had a longstanding agreement to be available for impromptu football games in the park. Most of the time, they were rare. Of the group of friends, only two played football professionally – Elliot and Victor. Elliot had met most of the guys while playing pickup basketball games in the park. A few of them he'd been friends with since school. He'd invited Victor to join after developing a rapport with the guy during the last season.

People always asked him if he ever got tired of playing football. After all, he played during the offseason just as much as he did during the regular season. But the truth was that he loved playing football and meeting new people through the games he and his friends played in the park. He always met fellow football lovers and kids just getting their first taste of the game. He loved inspiring young boys to be football players, whether they went on to play professionally or just in their backyards.

"All right, now it's time for us to show you how it's really done," Jaime boasted.

"Yeah, right, you haven't scored on us at least two games."

"Today is the day, my friend."

Elliot just snorted. They all moved down the field. They had an agreement that instead of a kickoff to determine the ball's location they would start at the 20 yard line to make things fair.

Elliot took his spot opposite Shaun. "Are you ready for me? Do you think you can handle me?" Shaun taunted.

Elliot shook his head. "Just get ready for pain, buddy."

"Oh, I'll get ready for pain. Your pain."

"Man, you sound like a really bad movie," Elliot informed him, chuckling.

Jaime called the play and the men jumped into action. This time, Shaun was acting as a running back. He took off down field with Elliot hot on his tail. Except Elliot was the better runner.

Jaime thought he saw his opening with Shaun so he hurled the ball in his direction. His timing was off, though, and the ball sailed over Shaun and Elliot's heads. Elliot turned his head to follow the ball's path and picked his pace up to try and catch it. His quickened pace brought him closer but he still couldn't guarantee that he'd catch it. He stretched his arms out and tried to run even faster.

**EO**

Olivia felt herself getting into her groove. She had been running for a good fifteen minutes and she was jamming along to the song playing on her iPod. She enjoyed running. It cleared her head and let her gather her thoughts when she was too stressed to think. Sometimes she thought about work. Sometimes she thought about her lack of a love life. Most of the time she worried about whether or not she'd pass the detective's exam. She wanted to do good, pass with flying colors. She just hoped that when she did, she'd get the opportunity to be placed within the department she wanted. She'd been hearing rumors for a few weeks now that SVU had an opening that just wasn't getting filled. She prayed on a daily basis that it remained open until she could take the exam. That spot was just screaming her name.

"Watch out!"

Her entire body screeched to a halt as a man came flying out in front of her. He did a somersault as he dove into the grass. She ripped the headphones from her ears and placed a hand over her heart in hopes of getting it to return to its normal rhythm.

"What the hell!" she exclaimed to no one in particular. She glanced over at the man with the football he had been chasing in his hands. He rose from his place on the ground, brushing his knees off and straightening his clothes. He grinned sheepishly at her and motioned to the football.

"Sorry 'bout that. My friend has no aim whatsoever."

She chuckled despite her urge to yell at him. He was pretty cute.

"That's my fault. Clearly I should have been running slower," she quipped dryly. He laughed alongside her.

"I hope I didn't scare you too badly," he apologized. His wit was failing him right now. She was gorgeous and he couldn't think of anything clever to say to keep them in that moment longer than necessary.

"No, no, luckily my heart rate was already elevated," she smiled. He smiled back at her. Damn, that just made him more attractive. Wasn't she just thinking about her lack of love life? This guy seemed like he'd have excellent potential. He had a great smile. He seemed nice enough. His voice was velvety smooth. And he was certainly easy on the eyes.

A man came jogging up to them. He hunched over, seemingly out of breath.

"Hooo, you gonna introduce me, El?" Shaun exhaled, panting hard. The man in front of her pushed his friend aside.

"No." He tossed the football to Shaun and started moving back towards the makeshift football field. He turned his attention back to her. "Have a nice day, miss. Again, I'm sorry for scaring you."

"It's no problem," she repeated, slipping an ear bud back in her ear. She paused a step before she continued jogging.

_Don't look back. Don't look back. Don't look back_, she repeated in her head.

Elliot and Shaun let their eyes follow her as she jogged off.

"Dude, she is hot," Shaun proclaimed, his eyes following her every move. "You should've got her number."

"I'm dating Andrea," Elliot reminded his friend, looking over at him.

Shaun shrugged. "So? You'll end up breaking up next month. That girl could have been your rebound."

_That woman could never be a rebound,_ he thought to himself. _She's a class of her own_.

Shaun glanced over at his friend who had now turned his eyes back to the woman. He smacked him in the back of the head. "Let's go play football."

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Let me know if you like it :)


	2. One and Only

**A/N: **Thank you sooooo much to everyone who responded! I'm glad you all liked it (with the exception of Missy but last time I checked, no one is forcing you to click on the story and read it).

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**March 3, 2011**

Olivia looked down the street for the squad car. Frank had had to circle the block to try and get a parking space. It paid to be a cop sometimes to be able to park wherever with their NYPD placard but it wasn't in good taste to use it constantly. If it was up to Frank, they'd be parking all over the damn city wherever he could find a spot whether it be in front of a fire hydrant or on the sidewalk. It was up to Olivia to reel him in and make sure he set a good example for others.

She was tired of cops coming off as bad guys and abusing their power. She had seen too many cops come under fire for their actions. People on the street were reluctant to talk to them when they were on the beat and she was tired of it. She became a cop to help people, to talk to them and assure them that their city was safe. There was nothing she hated more than a dirty cop and she had made a personal vow to herself to make sure she got them off the street.

She spotted the squad car down halfway down the street and started for it. She nodded greetings to the people she passed. She liked when people knew she was friendly. That way, if they ever needed help in the future they wouldn't be as hesitant to go to the police.

"Take your coffee before I drop it," Olivia threatened, holding Frank's coffee through the open window on her side. He stretched over and took the hot cup out of her hands. "You should have gone in, by the way. Your underage crush is in there."

"Celia? She's working today? Damn, you should have told me before. I can't go in there now. She'll know why I'm there."

"Calm down, Frank. She's too busy to notice you anyway." She set her coffee in the cup holder in the middle. "And the next time you flirt with her, tell her to get a longer attention span. I swear she messed up at least ten orders today."

"Hey, a beauty like Celia is not meant to take orders from others," Frank defended. Celia was a sixteen year old who had started working at Café Lalo, their usual coffee shop, about a month ago. She knew Frank well enough to know that he was only joking about being in love with the underage girl but she still had to tease him about her. "Besides, she just started working there. She needs time to get used to the pace of demanding police officers and New York citizens."

"Frank, you really need to meet a woman your own age."

"Hey, this man is a bachelor through and through," Frank reminded her. "I don't need some woman telling me what to do, to pick my stuff up off the floor, picking out my outfits for our dates. No, no, no, Frank Fontana needs no one, my friend."

Olivia just stared at her partner for a minute. Frank had always been a trip to work with. He liked to avoid conflict at all costs but he wasn't afraid to show his cards when he had to. A few of the guys in her precinct had told her about his playboy ways but after spending a month with the man, she knew Frank was just putting on a front for the others.

"You are one of a kind, Frank," she chuckled, shaking her head.

Frank laughed quietly alongside her. He sipped his coffee while he gazed out the window. People bustled by in a hurry like always.

"Hey, I got an extra ticket to the Knicks game tonight," Frank remembered suddenly. He turned to face his partner. "You wanna go?"

She eyed him skeptically. "Who canceled on you?"

"No one!" He looked insulted. "What are you talking about? A month ago, we were talking about going to a game. I just happened to have an extra ticket to tonight's game."

Olivia continued to star at him. Her gaze could make any man spill his guts out.

"Okay, Mary from Organized Crime," he gave in. "She said she hates basketball."

"Frank, you're pathetic. Why can't you take a girl to a nice restaurant on your first date?"

"I get bored. She keeps blabbing on and on and suddenly I have no idea what she's been saying because I lost interest a half hour ago because her life is boring."

Olivia eyed the man next to her. "How do you even get women to talk to you?"

He looked smug as he said, "I have a certain charm about me. What can I say?"

She threw her coffee straw at him.

"What time for the game?"

He clapped his hands together. "Ha ha! I'll pick you up at 6:30."

**EO **

**March 27, 2011**

Elliot roamed the aisle of the bodega looking for anything that struck his fancy. He was actually there to get beer for his guy's night with his friend Jaime but he had the munchies lately. Grabbing a bag of chips, he turned into the beer aisle. Grabbing his usual brand, he made his way to the front before he bought a whole bunch of junk food he didn't need.

"Is this all for you, sir?" the clerk asked him.

Elliot added a bag of M&Ms before nodding. "Yeah, this'll do me for today."

He got his wallet out while the clerk rung up his items. He accepted the bag from the clerk before grabbing the six pack of beer. "Have a good day," he called on his way out.

He pushed the door open with his shoulder, making sure he didn't hit the beer against the door. The last thing he needed was beer all over him. He straightened his body out only to have his shoulder collide with something else.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," he automatically apologized.

"No, I'm sorry, it was my fault," the other person apologized as well. "I was in a hurry."

H e glanced up to see who he had run into. His eyes ran up the length of the legs, covered in dark blue pants. His eyes paused on the utility belt. _Oh, great, I just ran into a cop and I'm carrying beer._ His eyes continued to travel up until he realized this person looked familiar.

"You're a cop?"

The woman looked startled, like even though she was carrying handcuffs and a gun she didn't know how to handle this man who appeared to have Tourettes. "I'm sorry?" she spoke hesitantly.

"Remember the park about a month ago?" he reminded her, hoping she would remember before he had to describe their encounter in the park with embarrassing detail.

She squinted her eyes, trying to remember what he was talking about. She ran into at least a hundred people a day. Still, she tried to place the face with the location. He could tell the moment she recognized him. The lines in her forehead disappeared and he could practically see the light bulb above her head.

"You're the guy that saved me from the rogue football," she recalled.

He looked her up and down; not at all ashamed for checking her out while she was staring at him. He couldn't believe his crush for the last month was a cop. He had had dreams of their encounter in the park, it turning out differently every time. Although they all ultimately ended with them making love in his new bed. It wasn't everyday he met a woman as beautiful as her. And she obviously hadn't recognized him, either. Most women, or at least the ones interested in football or GQ's list of eligible bachelors, threw themselves at him the moment they recognized him. They were all hoping he would make them his next girlfriend but he wasn't interested. Desperate women weren't his thing.

But this woman….

"I can't believe you're a cop," he repeated. His eyes came up to meet hers again. She looked a little uncomfortable, no doubt under the scrutiny of his gaze. She was still standing tall, though, and her posture screamed confidence. She moved her sunglasses to the top of her head so she could see him better.

"And instead of saving innocent women from rogue footballs, you're buying beer in the middle of the day," she quipped. He looked a bit sheepish at that.

"My friend and I are having guy's night," he explained. "Gonna watch some basketball, maybe play some poker."

She nodded, a faint smirk on her lips. "Hmm, that explains it."

His eyes snuck a peek over at her badge on her shirt. "Officer Benson," he uttered softly. "Is this your normal beat?"

She hesitated for a second but gave in and answered him. "Yeah, in a way. You gonna stalk me now or something?"

"Haha, no," he laughed loudly. "Just trying to plan my schedule accordingly so maybe I'll run into you again."

"Is that so? I've never seen you around here before and I've been working this beat for a few years."

She crossed her arms across her chest but the air about her still seemed playful.

"My friend just moved a few weeks ago. Who knows? You may see me all the time now."

She laughed loudly this time. Her arms fell loosely to her side as she started to move closer to the door of the bodega. "Maybe I will. But for now, I have to be getting back to work. Until next time, Mr. Charming."

"Charming, huh?" he grinned madly. She kept her mouth shut but grabbed hold of the door handle. He nodded and stepped further out onto the sidewalk. "Hopefully I'll see you around, Officer Benson."

He waited until she entered the bodega before walking down the sidewalk. The smile stayed on his face until he reached Jaime's.

**EO**

"Aw, man, can you believe this? Carolina is all over the place tonight," Jaime complained. He took another sip of his beer as he watched the nightmare unfold in front of him.

"I don't know," Elliot shrugged. "I'm kinda rooting for Syracuse."

Jaime paused in motion and looked over at his friend. "Dude, have you lost your mind?"

"What? They're doing well this year."

"Maybe but you never pick them. Is there something wrong with you?"

Elliot scoffed. He rose from his place on the couch and moved to get another beer.

"You remember that woman I met in the park about a month ago?"

"The one that Shaun wouldn't stop talking about?" he remembered. "Yeah, why?"

On his way to the kitchen, he hesitated. He spotted a basketball next to the door and went for that instead. Picking it up, he spun it around in his hands a few times before speaking.

"I ran into her today on the way over here and you'll never guess what she does for a living."

Jaime's interest peaked. He sat up in a hurry. "She's a stripper," he said excitedly.

This time, Elliot paused in his motions and stared at his friend. "No! Why does your mind go to that?"

"You made it sound like she did something awesome for a living," Jaime shrugged.

"You need to get your mind out of the gutter. No, she's not a stripper. She's a cop."

Jaime made an incredulous noise and brought his fist to his mouth. "Get outta here, man! No way is she a cop. She was too good lookin'."

"She was in uniform and everything," Elliot nodded. "She's a cop. And we were flirted."

"What about Andrea?" Jaime spoke of Elliot's on-again off-again relationship with Andrea Fleming. She had met Elliot at a fundraiser a year ago and wouldn't take her sights off him until he noticed her. Andrea was from a prominent family in what Jaime called the rich part of Long Island and she was most definitely into keeping up the lifestyle to which she had become accustomed. In Jaime's opinion, Elliot had never really loved her. He just wanted to have someone to be by his side and dote on. And Andrea certainly hadn't loved him. She was more interested in the fame and fortune that came along with dating a pro athlete.

"We broke up like five weeks ago," Elliot reminded his friend.

Jaime shrugged. "So? You break up all the time. You'll be back together by May."

"No, it's for good this time." He spun the basketball around a few more times to gather his thoughts. He looked out the window at the city buildings surrounding them. "I don't want to be with somebody who's just with me for the fame and fortune. I wanna be with somebody who I enjoy being with, who makes me laugh, who I can see myself being with for the rest of my life."

Jaime was speechless. His friend always had been more of an emotional guy than people realized. Of course, he never let others see it except when something was weighing heavily on his mind. He set his beer down on the coffee table and turned to Elliot.

"…Man, you sound like Oprah. Go spit or somethin'. Regain your manhood."

Elliot laughed and threw the basketball at Jaime. "Fuck you, man."

"All right, all right," Jaime waved it off. "Tell me what you're thinkin'."

Elliot only shrugged again. He tapped his finger against the window to gather his thoughts. He thought he'd be settled down by now. Or at least in a serious relationship where they both loved one another. He thought he'd have a couple of kids to spoil by now. A boy and a girl. He would teach his son to love football and sports like his dad. For his daughter, he would indulge her in participating in tea parties and playing dress up. Or he would play superhero with his son and take his little girl to every sporting event he could get tickets to. He could see himself with a wife who was by his side through the ups and downs in his life. She was there for him when he was on the field and she stayed with him when it was off season and his body felt like it was ready to give up on him.

"There's just… something about her, Jaime." He turned around to face him. "I really wanna get to know her."


	3. Mama Said

**April 17, 2011**

Olivia navigated the halls of Columbia University. Though this wasn't her alma mater, she knew these halls as well as she knew the halls of Siena. Too many times she had been here with her mother, either waiting for her to finish grading some tests or running up and down the halls on a Saturday when she was younger while her mother grabbed some papers she forgot. She brushed past some students who had chosen to stand in the middle of the hallway. Oh, to be young and stupid again. On second thought, she liked where she was in her life. Knowing she had only herself to depend on and take care of was oddly liberating.

She peered into the lecture hall her mother held all of her classes in. Serena was at the chalkboard, her back turned away from the door. Olivia saw her chance and quickly slid into the classroom. She didn't want her mother to know she was there. She and Serena had been on good terms lately so she thought she'd surprise her mother with lunch.

"Now since I know all of you have finished the book, who can tell me some of the major themes of Jane Eyre?" Serena questioned her class. She glanced up over the rim of her glasses and called on the first hand she saw. "Yes, Ms. Thomas?"

"The one that stuck with me the most was the social class," the girl said.

"Would you care to elaborate?"

"Well, she was an educated woman who was sophisticated but she still had a lowly job as a governess. It seemed that just because she had been adopted, she couldn't rise to a higher class."

Serena nodded. "Well put, Ms. Thomas. What other themes were noticed?"

Olivia looked around the classroom as a few hands were raised. She listened as they spoke about the book, letting their professor know that they had indeed read the book. Olivia remembered being back in college. Having an English teacher for a mother meant she had already read all of the classics by the time she was done with high school. In her English literature class her sophomore year, she hadn't even had to crack open the books to brush up on the in class discussion. She had had an advantage over the rest of her classmates but she often wondered what they must have felt like. After all, they had all been cramming for tests and completing assignments for other classes and then they had to read at least four chapters in one day and a half for the English lit class. Hardly anyone seemed to know the answers her professor had been asking of them. Only a select few ever really seemed to read the books.

"Now, this piece is said to be ahead of time," Serena's voice brought her back to the present. "Can anyone tell me why?"

This time, the hands remained on their desks. Olivia smothered a smile as she saw her mother's distaste for this.

"Surely someone must have noticed."

Glancing around at the desks full of students flipping through the book's pages rapidly, Olivia took a deep breath and raised her hand.

She saw her mother's gaze travel up to the top row, ready to call on the first person who thought they knew. She saw her mother falter a little and remove her glasses as she spoke, "Yes, Ms. Benson?"

Olivia felt the eyes of the entire class.

"This novel is ahead of its time because of the feminist aspects. Considering that feminism wasn't even spoken of aloud for some time yet, Jane Eyre was somehow a pioneer for women's rights."

Serena moved around to the front of the table and leaned back against it. "Would you care to elaborate upon that and inform my class of what they missed?"

"In this era, women had every decision made for them and they were expected to be at the beck of call of every man. While Mr. Rochester assumes the role of master, Jane realizes the need to be her own person. She realizes that to be independent she needs to earn her own share. Jane will not let the men in the novel dominate her as she searches for her own independence in this world." She released a breath as she finished. While she wasn't afraid of speaking in front of others, it was nerve wracking to do so in her mother's class. There was a reason she had chosen not to go to Columbia.

"Well said, Olivia," Serena smiled proudly at her daughter. She refocused her attention on her students. "Class, I would like you to meet my daughter. And make sure you remember what she said. It'll be on the test next week. You're free to go."

Students packed up quickly, all anxiously awaiting to get out of there. She saw several students glance more than once at her on their way out. She knew what they were all thinking. Mother and daughter looked virtually like complete strangers. Ever since finding out that her father had raped her mother, she had looked for similarities between her and her mother. The movement and shape of their hands, similar bone structure, a habit. But over the years she had found they didn't really have that many. She had her mother's cheekbones and nose, but everything else about them was a foreign as could be. Although, looking through some of the old pictures of her mother, she knew they had the same dark hair color but time had lightened Serena's brown locks.

Even their mannerisms and personalities were complete opposites. While Serena was reserved and introverted, Olivia was a friendly soul who enjoyed adventure and adrenaline. Serena thought out what she was going to say while most of the time Olivia just blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. Olivia was even taller than her mother. Not by much but enough that it was noticeable in pictures. They had different viewpoints on practically everything. But despite these differences, Olivia loved her mother. And she was sure that Serena loved her as well, despite her feelings of loneliness and doubt when she was growing up.

Slowly, she made her way down the steps of the lecture hall until she stood in front of her mother.

"And what are you doing here today?" Serena said as her greeting. Olivia folded her into a hug before answering.

"I have the day off today," she explained. "And it's such a beautiful day today that I thought I'd take my mom out to lunch."

"What if I had been busy after this class?"

"I already checked your schedule," Olivia grinned. "You are free for the rest of the day."

"Well, aren't you thinking ahead," Serena teased. She gathered the papers and books she had spread out on the table. "So what did I do to deserve my daughter wanting to take me out to lunch?"

Olivia shrugged. "I realized we hadn't seen each other lately so I thought we could catch up over lunch."

**EO**

Olivia thanked the waiter as he placed the diet soda in front of her.

"So what's new in your life?" her mother asked her, taking a sip of her iced tea.

"Nothing much. Still at the same precinct. Still arresting people."

"Have you heard any word on the detective's exam?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. I've heard rumors that it won't be until sometime this summer. I'm anxious with all this waiting. I just want to get it over with."

"Are you positive that is what you want to do?" Serena asked. She wasn't afraid to let Olivia know what she thought of her occupation. If it was her decision, her daughter would be a school teacher or a business woman, certainly not a police officer. Ever since Olivia had come to her to tell her of her dreams, Serena's stomach had been turned inside out. She didn't want her baby girl out there patrolling the streets, putting herself in danger day after day.

Olivia met her mother's eyes. She knew her mother hated her job but she loved it with all her heart.

"I want to do this, mom. This is all I have dreamed about since I was sixteen. I'm not going to change my mind." She said her sentences clearly and slowly so her mother would understand. Not that anything would ever make her stop trying to get her daughter to change her mind about her job.

Defeated for the day, Serena nodded. "I know but that doesn't stop me from wishing."

Olivia nodded in return. She knew Serena would never really be able to come to terms with her job but at least she kept her opinion to herself.

Most of the time.

"How's your partner?" Serena continued on with her questions.

"His name is Frank and he's fine," she responded, a small grin on her face. "He's been my partner for two years. You'd think you could remember his name."

Serena only shrugged. "How's your love life?"

Olivia almost choked on her soda. Setting it down before she spilled it all over herself, she dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. Sometimes her mother never failed to shock and amaze her.

"Since when do you care about my love life?" she blurted out. She met her mother's eyes across the table.

"I care about my daughter," Serena defended herself. "I thought you were seeing someone."

Olivia's surprise showed on her face. "Yeah, Jason. But we broke up two months ago."

"You never told me."

"I didn't think you'd care," Olivia said frankly.

"Of course I care. Now what was wrong with this man?"

Olivia stifled a laugh. "He didn't like my hours. Said he couldn't get used to them. So I said it was nice knowing you."

"He couldn't even try?"

"Apparently not," she shook her head. "But it's all right. He was nice but I don't know." She shrugged and played with her straw. "He's not what I'm looking for."

They were interrupted by the waiter bringing their food to them. After assuring him they needed nothing else, they were once again left to themselves.

"And what are you looking for?" Serena asked her daughter.

Olivia shrugged for the millionth time.

"Someone who…doesn't really mind my hours all that much. Someone who isn't afraid of what I do. Someone who can make me laugh. Someone I can have a good time with. Someone who…someone who loves me for me."

**EO**

**May 5, 2011**

"How'd you manage to find this spot?" Olivia said, throwing the squad door wide open. She handed Frank's coffee over to him before snatching hers off the roof of the car and climbing in.

"Luck was on my side for a change. I even managed get a paper today." He tapped his fingers against the paper happily, smiling over at her. She shook her head while she cleared room in the cup holders for their coffee. Frank was always on a mission to get the ever elusive newspaper. Most of the time, he never had time to actually read it by the time he got around to buying one. "They're coming out with the final news on the draft this week. It's the full comprehensive list."

"And that would the…football draft?" she tried to remember.

Frank nodded. "You know, being my partner, I would think you would have picked up more about sports in the last three years."

"Yeah, but I tune you out when you talk about non-work related topics," she teased.

"That hurts, Benson." He clutched his heart to show his pain but she was ignoring him.

She took a sip of her coffee, looking around through the front windshield. It was still early so there weren't a ton of people out. She recognized a few of them from their time on this beat. Shop owners knew her and were friendly with her. She had been told by the owner of the Italian restaurant down the street that she had a table waiting for her whenever she wanted one. The employees of Café Lalo knew their orders by heart. The owner of the flower shop one street over had a crush on Frank and tried to get a date whenever they passed. She always teased Frank about it but he always got her back whenever the construction workers working on the new hotel going in just down the way from the Italian restaurant started hitting on her.

She glanced over at Frank. He was engrossed in whatever he was reading.

"So tell me about the draft."

He peered over at her, his eyebrows raised in shock. "What's this? You actually want me to teach you about the world of sports?"

"Shut up and read."

"Well, let's see." He opened the sports section. "The Giants decided to keep Victor Cruz on after he's proven to be extremely valuable. The team is ready for training camp this summer. They feel they'll have a good shot at going to the Super Bowl. Oh, and my favorite player just signed a three year contract with the Giants."

He flipped the paper back over to the front page and pointed to the story below the fold. Olivia glanced over and nearly spit out her coffee all over the paper.

"That's your favorite player?" she asked incredulous. "I met him in the park about a couple of months ago."

Frank looked at her like she had told him she was pregnant with his child.

"Are you telling me…" he spoke slowly, his shock evident, "that you met…Elliot Stabler, quarterback for the New York Giants?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I ran into him outside the bodega on 87th about a month ago, too."

Frank put a hand over his heart. She would have thought he was having a heart attack if she didn't know how he acted when he received news he really liked. She watched him gasp for air for a few moments before he found his words.

"You met Elliot Stabler, quarterback for the New York Giants, and you didn't tell me?"

"How was I supposed to know who the guy was?" she shrugged, her voice raising a little. "I don't really watch football, Frank."

"Ugh, I can't believe this. My partner doesn't even know who he is and she meets him," Frank muttered to himself. "Meanwhile, I would give my right arm for an autograph."

She rolled her eyes at his melodramatic behavior. "Relax. Next time I run into him, I'll get you an autograph," she joked.

"Don't mess with me like that. It's not a joke."

"I'm sorry, Frank," she apologized dryly. She sipped at her coffee. "Please forgive me."

"Ha ha ha, Benson. How would you like it if I met someone you always wanted to meet?"

She appeared to think about his question. Truth was, there was no one she wanted to meet. No celebrity at least. She didn't have time to watch a lot of movies or TV. She didn't know who was popular these days. Sure, she had always been current on her stars when she was in college. But she hadn't really idolized anybody enough to want to meet them or be like them. Frank on the other hand treated damn near every celebrity like they were God.

"Well, I'll tell you what," she finally said. She turned to look at him. "When you meet someone that I've been dying to meet, I…will let you see me naked."

Frank sat there with his mouth hanging wide open. The car filled with Olivia's laughter.


	4. Say My Name

**May 7, 2011**

Elliot sat peacefully at an outdoor table at Café Lalo. He sipped at his coffee. He was in no hurry to leave. Not until she showed up at least.

A few weeks ago, he had learned from the employees of the coffee shop that Officer Benson frequented their establishment. Typically while she was on the job but sometimes otherwise. He was hoping he would run into her today. He was taking a chance. After all, he didn't know her schedule. He wasn't a complete stalker.

Ever since he ran into her the second time, he had been dying to ask her out. She had a sassiness about her that he liked. Most females were eager to impress him. Even when he was in college, once a girl had her sights on him, she did anything to get his attention. He didn't like that. He hated when women threw themselves at men. There was nothing less attractive than a woman desperate to get herself a man.

But this Officer Benson… He didn't even know her first name and he couldn't stop thinking about her.

He took another sip of his coffee. He checked his watch. He'd give it another thirty minutes before he left. He did have a life he needed to be getting back to. He had weight training to do yet today. Then he and some o the guys were going to practice some plays.

An hour. He'd give it an hour. It was worth it.

He just hoped he wasn't going to make a fool of himself. The last thing he wanted to do was wait a couple of hours for a woman he had only met twice only to have her say she was taken or uninterested. He got the feeling that wouldn't be the case, though. She had flirted with him outside the bodega two months ago. She had flirted with him in the park three months ago. It had to be mutual.

A familiar uniform entered the corner of his eye.

"Are you stalking me now?"

He glanced up to see Officer Benson standing over his table. She had her hands on her hips and a smirk on her face.

"Yes, actually," he admitted, taking another sip of his coffee. He grinned at her and motioned to the seat in front of him. "Have a seat."

She hesitated. Her smirk lessened and her arms loosened but she didn't sit.

"I don't bite. I promise."

She chuckled at that. Her movements were deliberate. She slowly pulled the chair out from its position at the table. Everything in her body was telling her not to do this, that she was on the clock, but she was curious. This man had managed to intrigue her.

"Is this what all quarterbacks do? Sit in coffee shops and wait for women they're stalking?" she teased. He looked surprised that she knew who he was.

A few months ago, she hadn't given any indication she knew who he was. He licked his lips.

"So you know who I am?" he questioned. She nodded

"I am a cop, you know. I know people." He laughed. "My partner told me when we saw you in the paper recently."

"Ah, yeah. I kinda forget about that kind of stuff," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. He hated when there were articles about him in the paper. He was in it for the love of the game, not the publicity and fame. Pushing his coffee to the side a little, he leaned forward on the table. "So now that you know my name, I think you should tell me yours."

She leaned forward as well, crossing her arms across one another and mimicking his posture. "Oh, you do, do you?"

"Yeah, I mean it's only fair. You know who I am now and you can pretty much find out everything about me," he rationalized. "Meanwhile, I know nothing about you except that you're a cop and your last name is Benson."

They stared at each other, both with grins on their faces. She didn't want to give in, he could tell. But he was going to wear her down no matter how long it took.

She pursed her lips a bit as she thought about his request. While normally she would have been creeped out beyond belief that some man admitted to following her around for a chance to run into her, this man didn't seem like he was anything other than an honest man. He didn't give off pedophile vibes or a rapist vibe or a murderer vibe. He just seemed like a cocky man who wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted.

But unlike the men she had known that had given off that vibe, this man continued to grab her attention and made her want to come back for more.

"Olivia," she said after what seemed like an eternity. She leaned back in her chair. Her voice softened as she repeated, "My name is Olivia."

"Olivia," Elliot repeated quietly. He held his hand out. "Nice to meet you, Olivia. I'm Elliot."

She looked down at his hand but found herself stretching her right hand out to meet his. She chuckled but said, "Nice to meet you too, Elliot."

They sat there in silence, Elliot sipping his coffee again and Olivia just looking at him. Yesterday she had found out from Celia that a man had been asking about her. Originally a little perturbed, Olivia asked Celia to describe the man. When the man she described started sounding familiar to her, she found herself growing flattered. But it was still just a little creepy.

"So what's with the hat?" she mentioned, nodding her head towards the Yankees hat he wore. "Every time I see you, you have a hat on."

He touched the rim of his cap, grinning. "You'd be surprised at how well this works as a disguise," he explained. "People notice me less when I'm wearing a hat. Especially when it's a Yankees hat."

"That makes you less noticeable?" she doubted, her expression mirroring her tone.

"Well, yeah, a little. I hardly recognized you when I saw you in this getup."

She laughed. "Getup? You know, most people run the other way when they see the uniform," she pointed out. Her eyes softened as she spoke, "For some reason, you keep running to it."

"Well, you know," he shrugged and leaned back, his posture cocky. "My intentions aren't entirely pure."

"Is this the part where you mention you're really an axe murderer?" She gestured between them. Her smile showed that she was joking with him.

He kind of liked that.

"No, this is the part where I ask for your number," he said frankly. "And maybe a date."

Her mouth dropped open a little at that. She wasn't exactly expecting him to be that up front, although it did seem to suit his personality. Her mind frantically searched for a snappy comeback but her use of the English language was rapidly leaving her. She wanted to tell him no. It was just what she did when most men were brazen enough to ask for her number. She liked being the one in control, the one initiating a possible relationship. There were only rare occasions when she got a thrill out of a man pursuing her because he wouldn't take no for an answer. Besides, as soon as men found out what she did they either ran the other way or became a little too fascinated. And if they did manage to stay around for more than a couple of weeks, they were usually out the door once they realized what her hours were actually like.

"I'm actually on the job right now and unless you're a victim or a witness to a crime, I can't give you my number," she said politely. She waited to see what he would say, if he would fight for her attention.

He knew she was trying to find a polite way to tell him no but he wasn't going to back down.

"What if I told you I witnessed a crime earlier?" He leaned closer to her, his arms resting on the table once again. He lowered his voice as if he was revealing a big secret.

She once again mirrored his posture. "What kind of crime?" her voice matched his.

"Does it matter? A crime is a crime."

"True but there are different severities. Some incidents take precedent over others."

"Well, I think you're gonna wanna catch this guy." He motioned for her to move closer. She did as such. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I saw someone…jaywalking."

Olivia laughed loudly as her body propelled backwards into her chair from the force of her laughter. He chuckled alongside her, laughing at his ridiculousness.

"It's New York City," she managed to get out. "Everybody jaywalks. I've seen my own boss do it."

"All the more reason we need to catch this guy," he insisted, a laugh still in his voice. "Think of all the angry drivers that have to wait for these jaywalkers."

She only laughed harder. He'd keep this story going all day if it meant he got to hear her laugh. He had never heard a sweeter one.

"I figured we could work together to catch this guy," he continued. "You know, make an example outta him so other jaywalkers know the city's cracking down on 'em."

Olivia wiped at her eyes and tried to keep her laughter at bay.

"That is the most ridiculous thing I think I've ever heard," she told him. She resumed her earlier position before she was overcome with laughter. "But you're original, I'll give you that."

They held eye contact but it was almost as if neither of them wanted to say anything to ruin the moment. He wanted her to say yes so badly. Probably more than he'd ever wanted anything before.

The urge to say no was rapidly leaving Olivia's mind. It wasn't everyday an attractive man could make her laugh like that.

She stood from her spot at the table.

"Hey, where you going?" he wondered, holding his arms out parallel to his body.

"I told you, I'm on the clock," she reminded. "I can't be seen just lounging around with a man who is not in distress."

"I'm in distress that you're leaving."

She smirked and said, "Nice try."

She reached into her shirt pocket and withdrew her business card. She hesitated a moment, debating whether she should give it to him or not. He had a smirk on his face, clearly happy she had fallen for his trick. Drawing her lower lip between her teeth, she slipped a pen out of her pocket and flipped her card over. She wrote her cell number down on the back before handing it to him.

He happily accepted it, his eyes glancing over it before looking at her again. "Now, these are your real numbers, right? I'm not gonna call and get some guy named Ed?"

"No, those are my numbers," she assured with a smile. "And I don't know anybody named Ed."

He chuckled. He slipped the card in his pants pocket. He looked back up at her. Despite her telling him she was on the clock, she had yet to actually leave.

"Have coffee with me tomorrow."

Her brows raised in surprise.

"This way, we can talk and get to know each other a little before I ask you out to dinner."

This time her brows knitted together in confusion. "So this coffee together wouldn't even be a date?"

"It'd be a pre date," he shrugged. "Like they have the pre game before the actual game. We'd have coffee before the actual date."

"I'm working tomorrow."

"All day?"

"Just about. Tomorrow's my late night."

"Okay, what about Thursday? You have to have a day off after your late night, right?"

He surprised her with his knowledge of how the schedule worked. She bit her lip again as she thought it over. It did sound appealing and he seemed like a really nice guy.

"Okay."

**EO**

**May 10, 2011**

"This was a pretty good idea, Elliot," Olivia mentioned in passing as she sipped at her French vanilla cappuccino. He had suggested instead of staying at the coffee shop, they get their drinks to go. He had mentioned it was simply too beautiful a day to spend it indoors for even a short amount of time.

"Well, every once in a while, I'm known to get one or two."

They chuckled alongside one another. They were strolling leisurely through the streets of New York. Central Park seemed to be calling their names so in an unspoken agreement they continued to walk towards it. They hadn't been speaking much, just a few words here and there. The streets weren't too crowded so it wasn't that they didn't want others to hear them. They just both seemed to be waiting for the perfect location.

Before long, they found themselves at Turtle Pond.

"You ever been to this spot?" he asked her.

She nodded. "As a cop, it's kinda my job to make sure I've been everywhere in the city at least once."

He grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess that was kind of a dumb question."

"No, it wasn't," she quickly assured him. She laughed a little to herself. "I've actually only been here a few times. I usually stay in the south end of the park. It's closer to my apartment when I go jogging."

"Oh, nice to know I have another part of town I can start stalking you in," he teased with a smile. She bumped her should with his to let him know she was aware it was a joke.

"So Mr. Football, where are you from?"

"Born and raised in Queens." The smile never left his face. He took a sip of his lemonade and continued. "I always wanted to live in the city, though. To feel the energy and living among the hustle and bustle of everyday people. It's pretty quiet in Queens."

"Most people want to get out of the city," she pointed out.

"Yeah," he shrugged. "But I'm not most people."

_No, you're not_, Olivia thought to herself. It wasn't every day she found herself on a date with a professional football player. Although, if she actually watched football on a regular basis she figured she'd be much more impressed with the scenario. Either way, meeting a nice, handsome, eligible man in New York City was no easy task.

"So what about you?" she heard his voice. "Where are you from, Copper?"

She had to smirk at his momentary nickname for her.

"Lower East side, been in the city all my life and if I had to move, I feel like I'd be lost," she confessed. "My mother's a tenured professor with Columbia so I've always been around the uptown region."

"Sounds like you had the life I always wanted."

"I don't know about that," she muttered so he couldn't hear. Louder she said, "So did you always know you wanted to play football then?"

He took a seat on the grass next to the bank of the pond. She followed suit, sitting closer to him than she would have otherwise.

"Not really. My dad was a cop so for a while I thought I wanted to be one, too. But we didn't really have the best relationship and pretty soon, I figured if I became a cop, I'd end up just like him. And that was the last thing I wanted. So after going through…several ideas, when I was in my junior year of high school I figured it out. I was good at football so why not try to get drafted by the college scouts. Everything else just kinda…fell into place eventually."

"You're a real Cinderella story," she said. He glanced over at her while she was biting back a teasing smile.

"At the time, it seemed like it to me. I was just a middle class kid from Queens. Nothing good had ever happened to me."

He still remembered the day he got a full scholarship to the University of Florida. He had been stressing for months on how he would pay for college if he actually got the chance to go. When he got the call from the football coach accepting him into their program, he was ready to go running through the streets shouting for joy. He'd felt like he was on cloud nine ever since he was drafted in 1999 to the New York Giants. Players hardly ever got drafted to the city they called home.

"So," he slapped his hand to his knee. He looked over at her. "That's my story. What's yours?"

"My story?" she repeated. This was usually the part where she lost potential suitors. She cleared her throat and gripped her coffee cup tighter in her hands. "Well, I was born and raised here. I was one of those nerds that loved going to school. It was like my escape from everything. For a while in middle school I thought I wanted to be a teacher but when I sixteen I realized I wanted to be a cop. I went to Siena College and after that I took the exam for the NYPD. I was accepted into the Academy and I've been a beat cop now for seven years."

"What made you decide to become a cop?" he wondered, his voice soft. There was something in her tone that made him think there was more to her story that she was holding back.

"That's really a story for another time," she spoke slowly, looking into his eyes.

"Would another time happen to be dinner next week?"

She grinned widely. "Are you asking me?"

There was a pause. Their eyes had yet to leave one another.

"Go to dinner with me next week."

She appeared to ponder on his request. Despite the semi-serious nature of the "date" so far, she was having a good time. Elliot was nice. He was well spoken, athletic, funny, educated, handsome. That was her perfect man all wrapped in one. She definitely wanted to see where this could go.

"What time are you picking me up?"


	5. Can't Fight This Feeling

**A/N:** Just to clarify because I meant to do this sooner, I'm trying to mix their actual personalities (funny and joking) with their character personalities (serious and brooding almost). In my view, since Elliot isn't a police officer and Olivia is still so young at her job, the heaviness of life hasn't hit them.

* * *

**May 11, 2011**

"So tell me more about this guy," Christina called over to Olivia. "You never told me his name."

Olivia slipped the dress's straps over her shoulders. "His name is Elliot and he's a really nice guy."

"That's it?" Christina paused what she was doing. "All you can tell me is he's a really nice guy?"

"What do you want me to say, Chris? We haven't even been out on an actual date yet."

"I thought you said you went for coffee yesterday." She brought more dresses in to the fitting area.

"Yeah, but he called it a pre date," she said, stepping out of the room so Christina could see her dress. "What do you think?"

Christina looked for a moment, even walking around Olivia to see the dress from all angles. "It's cute but I don't think it's the one."

Olivia looked down at the green dress before looking back up at her friend. "You do realize I'm not sleeping with him on this date, right?"

Christina smiled. "It just doesn't pop. It's not the one," she guaranteed. She held up the other dresses she had picked up. "Try some of these."

She took the hangers from her friend and resumed her place in the fitting room.

"Tell about this "pre date," which sounds sketchy to me, by the way."

"It wasn't sketchy; it was nice. We talked about where we grew up, what we do, and then we just talked about random things. We sat in the park talking for four hours."

"Wow, sounds like you really like this guy."

"I do, Chris. I haven't met a nice guy like him in a while." God, even to her own ears, her voice sounded far too dreamy.

"What about Jason?"

"He was nice but I didn't really see it going anywhere, especially once I realized how much of an issue my hours were going to be to him. He liked structure too much and my life if definitely not that."

"How do you know this guy isn't like that?"

"I don't but I won't know until we see if this is actually going to be a relationship."

"Yeah? Well, the way you keep talking about him tells me that it's definitely going to be a relationship."

Olivia laughed. "You've hardly heard me talk about him."

"Honey, when you mention a man's name more than once when you're not even dating him, it's serious," Christina informed her. "And any man would be crazy if he didn't want to date you. Have you seen you? Eres el paquete entero."

Olivia chose to say nothing to that remark. She often grew uncomfortable when anyone mentioned anything close to her looks. She didn't think of herself as unattractive but she didn't think she was stunning either. She was just an average woman.

"I think I found the one."

"Déjame ver," Christina ordered. Olivia stepped out in a red strapless dress that came down to her knees with a black sash tied around her middle. She looked stunning.

"Que linda, mami," Christina squealed. "This is the one."

Olivia looked at herself in the mirror again. "It's perfect."

**EO  
**

**May 13, 2011**

"And then she was like 'you been hiding girls up in here?' I told her 'no, baby, there's no one in my life but you. Go ahead, check the place.' So she does. While she's searching in the closet, I get Alicia to run down the stairs so my girl doesn't see her."

Victor laughed with T.K. He was always coming in with crazy stories for the rest of them. Elliot only shook his head.

"Did it ever occur to you to stick with one woman, T?" he asked his friend and teammate. T.K. looked at him like he'd grown another head.

"Why would I want to settle with one woman when there's a whole sea of women out there who haven't had a taste of T.K. yet?" he asked cockily.

"You know T.K. over here hasn't been as fortunate as you in finding 'the one,'" Ryan informed Elliot. All of his teammates paused in their workout. Elliot mentally throttled Ryan.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's he talking about?" T.K. came up next to his friend. He placed a hand over his heart. "Please tell me he's joking."

"He has a date tonight," Victor pitched in. "He's taking her to Rosa Mexicano."

Elliot glared at the man. "That's the last time I ask you for restaurant ideas."

Victor just grinned and shrugged.

The rest of the men were still looking at him. While they all liked being with women, very few had actually settled down and most weren't thinking about it for another ten years. When the guys found out one of theirs was dating a woman, everyone just had to make a big deal out of it.

"All right, yes I have met a woman but no we are not dating and no, she is not the one," Elliot informed them all.

T.K. stepped back and looked at his white friend. When they were in the weight room, nothing but jokes and friendly insults passed back and forth between teammates, family. But since he knew what his friend was like outside the weight room and off the field, he knew when the man was lying.

"You are so full of it, man!" he yelled. The room erupted in laughter. T.K. slapped his friend on the shoulder but Elliot's eyes had fallen to the floor. He shook his head while the room continued with their routines.

"So come on, tell me about this girl," T.K. prompted. "How come I ain't hear about her until now?"

"It just kinda happened. We went out for coffee the other day and I asked her out. She said yes and now here we are." He held his hands out in front of him to motion to the room around them.

"Yeah, but if Ryan says something like you think she's the one, that's pretty serious," T.K. stressed. He motioned for Elliot to keep his mouth shut. "I know you, man. Don't lie."

He exhaled and thought twice about what he was about to say. After a few failed starts, he said simply, "I think she could end up being pretty special to me."

T.K. smiled brightly, his pearly whites standing out against his light brown skin. "All right. Now that's what I'm talking about. Is she hot?"

Elliot laughed at that. His friend had a one track mind.

"Yeah, she's pretty hot."

**EO**

She glanced through her earring selection. Should she wear studs, dangling ones, hoops? Or maybe no earrings would look better. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror. No, the way her hair was up she definitely needed earrings. It looked too bland without them. She went back to her selection. She held a pair of diamond studs next to her ear. No, those wouldn't do. Too ordinary. She passed over her hoops before picking up another pair of studs. No, she didn't like those either. She looked at her dangle earrings. She had some nice ones but none of them stood out. She held up a couple to her ear before picking her four leaf clover earrings. On the lobe, the Swarovski crystals were in the shape of a four leaf clover but they dangled down a good inch in a thin line of small hearts.

Stepping back to admire her work, she smiled. She cleaned up nicely. She smoothed her hands down her dress, checking it over and making sure there were no lose threads or fuzz on it. Moving into the bathroom where the lighting was better, she checked her hair again for the millionth time. She checked the hair tie in the back to make sure it wouldn't come lose. She smoothed a few strands down on the side before putting a spritz of hair spray on the area. She wasn't fond of hairspray but sometimes it came in handy.

A knock startled her at her task.

She couldn't believe she had given him her address. She never did that with dates! She always met them at the restaurant. It made her feel safer when the first date remained a first date. She didn't need crazy men turning up at her apartment.

She inhaled deeply before flipping the bathroom light off. She moved slowly to the door, not wanting to seem too eager. Her heels clacked loudly against the floor, reverberating inside her head. Her heart was beating loudly inside her chest. She could not recall the last time she had been this nervous for a date.

She checked the peephole before opening the door with a smile. "Hey," she greeted cheerily.

"Hey," he parroted with a smile of his own. He held out a bouquet of flowers. "I got these for you."

Olivia accepted the bright flowers he presented her. Her cheekbones were hurting from all the smiling she was doing. She sniffed the arrangement of white carnations dyed with red, blue bachelor's button, and red tulips. It was a unique display and very pretty.

"I was going for Giants colors but there are no gray flowers," he explained. "So instead it just looks like I'm really patriotic."

She laughed. "Well, they're beautiful. Thank you so much."

"I didn't want to get the typical roses or just carnations or…you know, other typical flowers," he continued while she found a vase.

After filing a vase with water and putting the flowers in them, she placed it on her table. Turning around, she finally got a good look at him since he walked in the door. He stood there with his hands in his pockets as they just stared at each other, undoubtedly looking each other over.

He was dressed formally but casually. He had a pin stripe suit jacket on with plain black pants. He was minus a tie, giving him the casual look, and his white dress shirt had the first few buttons undone.

And he wasn't wearing an undershirt.

And he looked amazing.

She shook her head to get rid of the thought of her running her hands over what had to be some fine, defined muscles on his chest.

"Thank you for being unique," she said after an eternity had passed. He only nodded his head, letting her know he heard her. He was staring her down, letting his eyes wander over her body. She felt her face flush from his scrutiny but she didn't let her shyness show.

"You look beautiful tonight," he complimented softly.

She was pretty sure she was visibly melting before his eyes.

"You don't look so bad yourself."

He smirked before motioning towards the door. "Are you ready to go?"

She nodded and grabbed her purse off the counter. She locked the door behind them and giggled insanely in her head as his hand found its place at the middle of her back.

The walk down the stairs was in silence but it was comfortable. She liked that so far even if silence came over the two, neither of them felt the need to find something to talk about.

He stepped ahead of her to open the front door for her. She stopped when she stepped onto the sidewalk. She had no clue if she was supposed to be looking for his car or calling a cab.

"I'm parked over here," his voice snuck up behind her. His hand resumed its place on her back. He guided her down the street a bit before stopping at his car.

"This is your car?" she asked, stunned. In front of her sat a beautiful red car, no doubt a collector's piece.

Elliot grinned proudly. "Yup, a '65 stingray. It was the first thing I bought when I got my first paycheck. She's my baby."

"She?" Olivia looked over at him.

"Well, you know," he shrugged sheepishly. He opened her door for her and watched her climb in. "I'm a straight male. Why am I gonna call it a boy?"

She only laughed and shook her head.

He did have a point.

**EO**

"I hope you like Mexican. I should have asked but I figured a New Yorker like yourself likes all kinds of cuisine."

He guided her gently towards the restaurant. Her strides were strong and matched his. That simple fact had him impressed. With Andrea, she would have to take four steps to match one of his. Plus, with her heels on, they were seeing eye to eye. A big change from Andrea's 5'3 frame.

"I love Mexican actually," she assured. "Not as much as I love Italian, though."

"I'll keep that in mind for next time," he murmured close to her ear. She eyes flitted up to his and the small grin on his face. On most guys, his cockiness would have been a turn off. On him, she practically had to bite her lip to keep from mauling him.

He announced his name to the hostess and they were seated promptly. She looked around the restaurant while they walked to their table. She had never been to this restaurant before but that wasn't really surprising in a city where new restaurants popped up practically every week. It was nice. It was big but homey. The color scheme was warm and inviting, with splashes of red and yellow and orange all over the place.

Elliot pulled her chair out for her and she thanked him. After he sat, the hostess handed them menus before leaving them be.

"Have you been here before?" she asked him.

"Once, but the woman I was seeing at the time didn't like it so I haven't been back since then which sucked because I love the food." He set his menu down and looked at her seriously. "So in other words if you tell me you don't like the food, I'm gonna have to call it off before this goes too far."

She found herself laughing again. "I'm sure I'll love the food. But I'll lie in case I don't. I wouldn't want to keep you from enjoying your restaurant."

Just like that he knew he had found the perfect woman for him.

Before long, they had ordered drinks and dinner and were finally left alone to talk.

"So are you gonna tell me what made you decide to become a cop now?" he asked before she could ask him something.

"Well, actually I want to be a detective," she confessed.

His surprise showed on his face. "Really?"

"I want to work in the Special Victims Unit but it depends on what openings they have in which precincts. The exam is actually next week and I'm pretty nervous about it."

"What's the Special Victims Unit?"

"They handle crimes involving sexual assault," she said simply. She knew what was coming next.

"Why do you want to work in that unit? Is that why you became a cop?" He was genuinely interested but he felt this was a difficult topic for her.

She nodded the affirmative. "Um…" but her words left her after that. Her mouth felt as dry as cotton as she searched for the right words to say.

"Hey," he called softly. His hand covered her on the table, gently encouraging her to look at him. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want. I'm just trying to figure you out."

She smiled a watery smile at him. She could kill herself for letting her eyes tear up. She just hoped her mascara didn't run.

"No, it's okay but it's just…this is usually where a lot of men bail out," she told him. With the soothing pressure of his hand on hers, she took a deep breath and told him her story. "My mother was raped when she was in college and …she got pregnant with me. She told me when I was sixteen and ever since then I've wanted to be a cop."

Elliot was silent for a minute, leaving Olivia to think he was planning what to say to get out of the date. But what he said surprised her.

"I think that's pretty admirable."

She blinked at his words. No one had ever said that to her before. Her friends had only expressed sympathy before moving on. The men she dated often looked at her like she was tainted in some way.

"I think a lot of people in your position would want to bury it under the rug and never think about it again," he continued. His thumb stroked over the back of her hand. "You're choosing to face it every day and help people."

She shrugged. "I spent so much time, so many years feeling sorry for myself. Something finally clicked in college. And when I was at the academy, a woman named Karen told me about the Special Victims Unit. She mentored me and made me stronger until I realized that I could really help these people."

A tear managed to slip out the corner of her eye. He lifted his hand to wipe the tear away.

"So far you are one amazing woman, Olivia." She smiled weakly, clearly showing she didn't believe him. "And I'm really sorry for making you cry."

He chuckled alongside her. She pulled back in her hair to dab at her eyes with her fingers. "No, I'm sorry. I don't usually tell dates my story on the first date. I don't usually tell dates that story ever actually."

"Well, I'm glad you told me."

He watched with a smile as she pulled a tissue out of her purse.

"Is my mascara running?" she wondered, stopping short of pulling her compact mirror out of her purse.

"No, it's all still in place," he assured. His eyes were soft as he looked at her. She felt the urge to look away under his scrutiny but she couldn't bring herself to do it. "You still look beautiful."

She chuckled uncomfortably and tried to lighten the mood again.

"So how 'bout them Giants?"

**EO**

"Wait, don't tell me you've never been outside the city?" Elliot exclaimed in dismay.

"Well, for college yeah, but I was only a few hours away." She looked sheepish. "I told you I'm a city girl."

"No, we have to change this," he shook his head with a smile. "You gotta see the world."

"I'd love to but it's a little difficult with my job." She smiled at him sadly. "Plus, it's no fun to see the world by myself."

He smiled at her warmly over the candlelight. "Well, we're gonna change that. Where do you want to go first?"

"Oh, so I'm going with you now?" She quirked an eyebrow at him. She took a sip of her drink to give her hands something to do. There was something about this man that filled her with nervous energy. A good energy.

"Well, yeah. I'm the perfect company." He sat back to let her eyes run over him. "So where to first?"

She pursed her lips as she thought of her options. There were the obvious choices like Paris and Rome, the typical answers that everyone threw out. But she was interested in starting smaller.

"I've always wanted to see America," she said quietly. "Maybe take a road trip across America, see the back roads and side shows and weird attractions. You know, the heart of America."

He nodded in agreement. The idea to take a cross-country trek had always appealed to him, too. But he needed a pretty close friend to take the journey with. Driving across the country wasn't a day trip. He needed someone along on the trip who wouldn't annoy him. All of his friends would get on his nerves after day two.

Maybe they could both accomplish their dream together.

Their waiter set down their desserts before he could say anything else.

"Oh, why did you convince me to get dessert?" Olivia teasingly complained when the waiter left. "I'm so full I don't think I'll be able to finish this."

He looked at her cake covered in blackberry and meringue. "You know, I would have pegged you for an ice cream kind of girl. I thought for sure you'd go for that."

She smirked at him. "I am a definite chocoholic. I have a love affair with anything chocolate but every once in a while I need something citrusy."

He pointed at her dessert with his fork. "What is that thing called again?"

"Tres leches de zarzamoras," she informed in a perfect Spanish inflicted accent.

He looked at her like a deer caught in headlights. She laughed.

"It's three milk cake with blackberry. It sounded interesting," she shrugged. She motioned to his dessert. "What's so interesting about your flan?"

He smiled widely. "The brownie and whipped cream."

She chuckled at his boyish grin. She could tell he really did love this restaurant. He had wolfed down his meal in quick fashion with obvious pleasure. And then the owner had even come over to visit their table for a few minutes. He was a pleasant middle aged Mexican man who had started the restaurant using his mother's recipes. He had made sure to tell them that the next time they came to Rosa Mexicano to mention his name so they would get VIP treatment through and through.

Elliot was proving to be a very interesting man. For a pro football player, a celebrity in the eyes of America, he was very down to Earth. He hadn't name dropped famous friends or fancy stores. The few trust fund babies she'd gone out with in the past couldn't wait to mention their rich spending habits and friends. It was a major turn off. She hadn't come from money so she couldn't understand the mindset. She was a simple woman with simple tastes. The rare times she allowed herself to splurge on anything she always felt guilty afterwards.

No, Elliot seemed to be just a simple man. He had told her some of his favorite memories from his childhood, some of his favorite places to hang out, his favorite restaurants. She was glad to know that they shared some similar hangouts. He wasn't trying to forget where he came from, the limited opportunities he'd had as a child. Not once had either of them talked about their jobs that night, except for at the beginning, and it felt good. It felt good to learn about the person underneath the job. It felt good to put the job behind her for a night.

Feeling daring, she reached over and stuck her fork in his flan. His own fork paused in motion as he watched her bring hers up to her mouth with his flan on it. She smirked at him as she tasted his dessert.

"You're lucky I like you," he told her with squinted eyes. The corner of his mouth lifted up in a minute grin.

"It's all right," she expressed about the dessert.

He scoffed. "You didn't do it right. You gotta get all the components at once. Here." He gathered a bit of everything on his plate onto his fork before holding up to her. He saw her hesitate for a moment before leaning closer and sliding her lips over the fork. He forced his body not to make some kind of reaction at the sight.

"Hmm, you're right," she agreed after a moment. "It's pretty good. Wanna try mine?"

He fought back the obvious innuendo he could make and nodded silently. She put a healthy amount of the cake on her fork before offering it to him like he had for her. He fought hard not to look into her eyes while he took the offered piece. There was something oddly sexual and intimate about what they were doing.

"It's pretty good," he admitted after swallowing. He leaned closer and winked. "But mine's better."

She chuckled and broke her gaze from his. His eyes kept drawing her in, sucking her into the deep blue pools. She was trying not to get in too deep; it was only the first date. But it was proving to be a more than difficult task.

**EO**

The radio was on low on the ride home. They had spent three hours at the restaurant, just talking after the food was long gone. She had nursed her margarita while he switched to water an hour before leaving. He had been hesitant to mention leaving. If they could have spent all night there, he would have taken that option just so he'd get to spend the night with her.

He fiddled with a dial on the radio, turning up the Journey song a little. "Please tell me you like quality music," he asked her, glancing over at her. "I don't think I can be seen with someone who likes disco or country music."

"Hey, disco had some good songs," she laughed. She leaned her arm against the window. "I love Saturday Night Fever. I always wanted to be able to dance like them."

"Oh, god, I can't believe you like that movie," he feigned disgust.

She glared over at him, her eyes dancing from the alcohol she had consumed over the evening. "You don't like that movie? Please, you practically look like the kids that hung out at the club every week."

"I do not," he proclaimed, looking at her. She laughed again.

"Yes, you do. You got the whole look, except for the lush brown hair and gold chains around your neck and polyester suits."

He tried his hardest to glare at her and force her to change her mind but pretty soon he was laughing, too. He couldn't really say anything to the contrary; he had heard the same from his friends.

"You are something else, Benson."

She smiled over at him before returning her gaze out the front window. She leaned her head back against the headrest and let the peace wash over her body. "To answer your question, though, yes I do enjoy quality music. The Beatles, Journey, Bon Jovi, The Who, the Eagles… I like pretty much anything. It just depends on my mood."

Even though she wasn't looking, he nodded in appreciation. "Good."

They arrived at her building soon enough. Elliot quickly turned off the engine and exited the car to come around to her side of the vehicle. He opened the door for her before she even had her seatbelt off. She couldn't remember the last time a man had opened her car door for her. Correction: she couldn't remember the last time she had let a man open the car door for her.

She took his outstretched hand and exited the car with grace. He shut the door behind her but didn't let go of her hand.

"Let me walk you up."

She didn't say anything, only tugged on his hand to guide them to the building's front door. Despite telling Christina she wasn't going to sleep with him on this date, she was majorly reconsidering her decision. She had found herself staring at his lips throughout the night, wondering what they would feel like against hers. She hoped they were as velvety smooth as they looked. When he took that bite off her fork earlier it about killed her. He was so…sexual. He exuded it in his actions, his words. She couldn't wait until he exuded it all over her.

The walk up to the third floor seemed to fly by. She kept wondering what he was expecting while Elliot kept wondering what she was expecting. Did she want him to kiss her? Was she expecting sex? Or was she expecting a call tomorrow telling her how much he enjoyed their date tonight? Despite his show of confidence, he was sweating under his jacket.

"Hey, are you uh, you doing anything tomorrow?" he asked her timidly. "Say around eleven in the morning?"

She slowly turned around to face him, her question written all over her face. "Uh, no. Why?"

"There's a program I put together with some of my teammates to keep kids active and get them interested in sports and keep them off the street. We organize football games, baseball games, soccer games in the park. Sometimes it's an obstacle course that the kids seem to like. And twice a month, we pick a spot and clean up trash, remove graffiti – basically make the city look nice again. I was wondering if you would like to join me. Tomorrow I think we're going to get a baseball game going on."

She tried to fight against the smile at seeing this side of him but it was impossible.

"I would love to," she assured softly, her voice like velvet. They still had yet to let go of each other. He squeezed her hand.

"Excellent."

Her thumb slowly caressed the back of his hand. She was waiting for him to make his move. She would be damned if she was going to do it.

"I had a really great time tonight," she told him, taking a step closer.

He grinned with a cocky expression. "Glad you said yes?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I am. You proved to be a very interesting date."

"In a good way, I hope."

She nodded. "In a very good way."

Their eyes held one another for a long moment. He knew she wanted him to kiss her but he didn't want to be just any date. He didn't want to be every other asshole who tried to sleep with her on the first date. He didn't want to be the guy who left just because he couldn't that she was a cop. He wanted to be someone special, someone who kept her guessing.

As if in slow motion, she watched as he drew their hands up to his mouth and slowly pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. His eyes held hers as he did it, speaking volumes to her with his eyes. It became profoundly clear to her that this man wasn't going to be like the others. He wasn't going to conform to society's ideas of how first dates or any dates were supposed to occur.

"Good night, Olivia," he whispered to her, his lips close to hers. "I had a wonderful time tonight."

"Me too," she whispered back, unable to make her voice speak any louder. Her hand slowly fell from his grasp and he began to move away when the fog cleared from her head. "Wait, you're not even going to kiss me?"

She shut her eyes and mentally slapped herself. Sometimes she really wanted to shoot herself for her annoying habit of just blurting things out.

He turned back to her and smiled sweetly. "I want to woo you," he said simply. "I'll kiss you after our next date."

He turned away and started walking back down the hallway when she called after him.

"Is tomorrow a date?"

He turned around once again and nodded at her question. The smile she gave him could have blinded him.

"That better be one hell of a kiss."

* * *

**Another A/N:** Thanks to everyone that have been reviewing! It really makes my day and makes me smile when I read them. I'm glad you all are enjoying this story so much!


	6. Baby, You've Got What it Takes

**May 14, 2011**

Olivia paid the cab driver before getting out at the corner of West 59th and Central Park Drive. From there, it was only a short walk to the softballs fields she was meeting Elliot at.

She was nervous excited about the day. She'd had to fight against calling Christina and asking her to come along. She'd ultimately decided she didn't want her friend along on what would be her second date with Elliot. Plus, Christina kept up to date on the most eligible celebrity bachelors in the city. She'd know who Elliot was in a heartbeat. Luckily for her, Christina wasn't the type of friend to try and steal a boyfriend away from a friend. Christina was the type that would do anything she could to make sure Olivia found happiness in her life.

She fiddled with her watch, taking a look down at the time. She was early; it was only about ten fifteen. Elliot had asked if she could come a little early so he could let her know what they were doing for the day. As much as she wanted to blame her earliness on him, she couldn't. She was ready to go by nine thirty and out the door by ten. She was anxious to see him again after last night.

She was eager for that kiss he promised her.

Never had she had a first date not kiss her or try to kiss her at the end of the night. Never! It was practically unheard of. Every man she ever went out with always wanted more from her at the end of the night besides a kiss on the hand. She wasn't conceited or trying to toot her own horn but over the years she had come to realize that men found her attractive. They always tried hard to impress her just to get a date with her. During dinner, they would flirt with her and tell her exactly what they thought she wanted to hear so they could nab a goodnight kiss or more from her.

But not Elliot Stabler.

Last night they had talked like they were old friends. Well, friends that flirted heavily with one another. She had told him embarrassing stories from her childhood that she had never told anyone else before. She had told him about where she came from – something she never did with dates period. She told him some of the dreams she wanted to accomplish before she died. And he hadn't even tried to kiss her at the end of the night.

To say she was angry would have been an understatement. At the time, she couldn't figure out why he wasn't trying to go for it like so many before him. She was mad she wasn't going to get the nice payoff that came with the end of the night. But when he said he wanted to woo her…She melted inside.

Her mother had taught her from an early age that men only wanted one thing. When she was younger, this used to frighten her. As a child, she hadn't known what her mother meant. For a long time, she was afraid to be around men. Thinking back now, that was probably her mother's intention. But once she hit middle school and started noticing boys, her mother's words flew out of her head. When her first boyfriend had broken up with her after she said she wouldn't have sex with him, she finally realized what her mother had meant so long ago. She didn't let it stop her from being attracted to and dating boys though. She was just more cautious than most. By now she had dated her fair share of deadbeats and losers. She could usually tell when a man wanted nothing other than sex from her. Sometimes that was fine. Sometimes it was exactly what she was looking for, too.

But now she didn't want it as much. She had had her fun in her twenties. She had been wild and crazy, finally free to find out who she was as a person without the watchful eye of her mother on her all the time. Now she was looking for something else. She wanted a man to love and to love her. She wanted children she could call her own. She wanted a dog and a house and a great career. She wanted it all, just like everyone else. She was finally comfortable with herself, with where she came from, to realize exactly what is was she needed to happy.

"Hey, Olivia!"

She looked over to her right at the sound of her name. She smiled when she saw Elliot jog up to her, a baseball in his hand.

"I'm glad you could make it," he smiled at her when he approached her.

"Well, I can't say I've ever had a second date like this," she teased, "so I kinda had to see how this would turn out."

He chuckled. "I dare to be different so I'm glad I could be your first."

She ran a hand through her shoulder length hair. She let her eyes run over him. He was dressed in typically day-in-the-park sporting attire. He had dark sunglasses on like her and she was pretty sure he was looking at her like she was looking at him. His loose black Under Armor shorts came to a stop right above his knee, allowing her to see the muscles in his calves. His gray Under Armor shirt wasn't fitted exactly but it was pulled fairly well across his chest. Once again she found herself dreaming about running her hands along the outline of the muscles she could tell were there. He had on his Yankees hat she was used to seeing him in, except this time it was facing backwards. His black Nike shoes rounded out his very…masculine look.

He matched nicely with her black shorts and navy blue razorback tank top. She had debated whether to wear a shirt. She wanted to dress appropriately for a day spent around children. But seeing his down pointed gaze that was undoubtedly on her sports bra clad chest, she was more than pleased with her choice.

"Are you wearing make up?" he questioned a minute later, pulling his sunglasses away for a better look.

She gave him a skeptical look and pulled her own sunglasses down. "You think I'm gonna let you see me without make up after we've only had one date?"

She hadn't gone all out with her make up this morning. Just her typical lip gloss and a little foundation along with some mascara.

"Touché," he complimented. He touched her elbow and jerked his head to the direction he had come from. She started walking with him. "Come on, I'll introduce you to the guys."

"Are these the guys you run the program with?"

"Yeah, I had the idea and they thought it sounded like fun so now here we are." He grinned and motioned to the park around them. "They had a similar interest in wanting to start a program like this."

"And what interest would that be?" she peered over at him with a light smile. He stopped dead in his tracks. He tossed the baseball he held up in the air a few times, his mouth opening to form words that didn't come out. Just as she was about to relieve him from telling her, a tall shadow came over her face.

"My man!" the stranger loudly greeted Elliot. He slapped him on the back before clasping his hands in front of him and motioning to her. His eyes looked up and down her body and she fought the urge to smile at his brazenness. "You did not tell me she was this fine."

Elliot fake punched the man in his stomach, all the while giving Olivia an apologetic look.

"I didn't tell you 'cause I don't need you hittin' on her." The two men horsed around for a second, their laughter filling the space around them, before Elliot came to stand close to her once again. "T, this is Olivia Benson. Olivia, this is my teammate Tony King."

"Better known as T.K., baby," he smiled broadly at Olivia. He bravely reached down until he held her hand in his and brought it up to place a kiss on the back of her hand. "I'll get you my number. That way if things with Romeo don't work out you can always call me to make it better."

Olivia laughed out loud at the cheesy pick up line he was feeding her. Elliot pushed his friend out of the way but he was laughing, too.

"Get the hell outta here, man. You're making me look bad."

T.K. started walking backwards but he kept his eyes on her. "You can be on my team today. We can support each other."

Olivia's mouth gapped open but she couldn't find words. She found herself laughing harder at this man and his flirting attempts. He was attractive, though. He was taller, taller than Elliot. His skin looked like smooth milk chocolate and his smile was blinding. She loved a man with a beautiful smile.

"That's uh," he pointed back towards T.K., "that's one of the founders of this program."

"Him?" her eyes widened. He nodded.

"He has a real soft spot for kids and he's actually really good with them. He just tries to..overly impress women."

"Yeah, no kidding."

"He's harmless, though. I promise."

"If he's not, I'm shooting you right after I shoot him."

"Good to know," he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. He tipped his head back to where he was leading her before T.K. interrupted. "The rest of the guys aren't bad at all. T.K.'s the most extreme case."

As she soon found out, he wasn't lying. His other teammates, Victor and Ryan, were very nice. They greeted her with warm, friendly smiles and made her feel welcome in the close knit group. Elliot told her that even some of the PR agents and cheerleaders helped out when they could. She had given him a bit of a hard time after she was introduced to a few of the cheerleaders but he took it all in stride. Although, when she saw two of the girls eyeing Elliot and the way he filled out his shorts in the rear area, she made a point of standing closer to him so they would know he was taken.

Before long, all of the kids had arrived. They were boys ranging in age from five to fifteen. There were four little girls there as well but she figured they were actually there because their mother's had no one to leave them with while their siblings were at the park. There were some older boys who Victor, T.K., and Elliot had apparently taken under their wing over the course of the program but everyone meshed quite well together. All of the kids were jovial and eager to play whatever activity the creators had put together. Olivia found herself taking a liking to the younger kids and found herself helping them trying to hit the ball when it was pitched to them.

Despite the age differences in the boys, the games were good natured. The older ones helped the younger ones throw the ball or hit the ball. They all encouraged each other to run as fast as they could when they managed to hit ball across the field. After a few hours, she saw a few boys start to get annoyed at the slow pace but Victor quickly made sure tempers didn't flare. He took them to a mound nearby that wasn't being used where they played catch and talked instead.

The adult's role in the game was more about being catcher and pitcher than it was about being a player. Elliot pitched for most of the games. T.K. was the catcher. Victor and Ryan helped the kids in the outfield. The cheerleaders mostly stayed on the side, to the surprise of no one really. They didn't look like the most athletic girls. They seemed more like they were there to stare at the football players all day. Other than the girls, it was a smooth operation; definitely not their first baseball game.

It was nice to see this side of Elliot. Not that she had anything else to compare it to. She'd only known the man for a few days but it was wonderful to know that he had a soft spot for kids. He was definitely in his element here. Again though, she really had nothing to compare it to. But she could tell from the way he helped the kids and spoke to them and horsed around with them that he would be a great dad.

**EO**

"You should have seen the look on T.K.'s face when you hit that ball into the outfield!" Elliot grinned proudly. He was practically bouncing next to her while they walked down the sidewalk. "I thought I was gonna have to tackle him to keep him away from you after you ran across home."

Olivia flashed her teeth at him. "I'm glad I could impress you with my athletic abilities."

"Let me guess." He turned his body sideways to hers while still walking down the street. He scrutinized her, his eyes squinted against this afternoon sun despite his sunglasses. "In college, you played….softball. Maybe a little track and field."

"Actually, I was an all star on the track and field team," she corrected. "I did play softball but only with my sorority when we were doing the males versus females games."

"Ooh, I wouldn't have guessed you were a sorority girl."

"I was an only child so when I went to college I was kinda desperate for a sense of family and siblings."

"Do you still keep in touch with any of them?"

"Most but I was only really close to a couple, my freshman year roommate and my roommate from the sorority house. I'm having dinner with one of them later."

They arrived at her stoop as she finished speaking. To save him the dilemma of whether to stay or go immediately, she sat down and patted the spot next to her. She pushed her sunglasses up to rest on her head and took in the street around them. It was quiet what with most people out and about of enjoying the coolness of their apartments.

He sat close to her, their legs touching. She felt so comfortable with this man, so free to be herself with him. She wasn't worrying about making sure she was feminine and girly and pristine. He seemed happy that she was willing to play sports and get sweaty and dirty out in the sun for hours. But she knew that he wasn't just looking for a girl that liked sports. She had seen the look in his eyes last night as he took in her attire for their date. She had no doubt that if she said 'go' he would have been all over her in a heartbeat.

She watched him play with some pebbles on the step in front of him. She could sense something was on his mind. He hadn't been this quiet since T.K. interrupted them earlier. She watched him swirl the pebbles around before flicking one off and onto the step below them. She propped her arm up on her leg and leaned her head against her palm. She took him in, the solemn look on his face, the way his brow creased under thought. She knocked her knee against his a few times before tapping her finger against his thigh. It got his attention. He looked over at her, abandoning the pebbles and resting his arms loosely on his knees. Slowly, she reached over and lifted his sunglasses until they rested on the top of his head.

"What's on your mind?" she wondered softly.

He gave a soft chuckle. "Isn't that the question of the century?"

She chuckled back. "Come on," she urged in that same soft tone. "I can see something's bothering you."

"How astute of you, Officer Benson."

"Well, you know," she shrugged, "I do want to be a detective."

He chuckled again and resumed poking at the pebbles. He kept his knee pressed against hers as he spoke.

"You know earlier when you asked me why I started the program?" He didn't wait for her to speak. "When I was a kid, my best friend was Billy Grey. We went to school together. We would always play sports together. We ate dinner at each other's houses all the time. We were like brothers. I wanted us to be brothers. I hated mine most of the time and I hated Billy's. His brother Kenny was a drug dealer. At first just marijuana. Eventually he moved up to selling crack and heroin. Started using after a while, too."

He paused. She put her hand on his back, rubbing up and down in a soothing motion to let him know it was okay. She would sit there with him as long as it took.

"One day, we were in the park by our neighborhood. We were playing basketball when his brother came up, told Billy that he had to go home with him. I tried to convince Billy to stay but he loved his brother. He would have done anything Kenny said without question. I just wanted my friend to stay and play basketball with me. Just as they were walking away, this car drove up…Apparently, Kenny hadn't been paying the suppliers. He owed a lot of money to some high up guys. Next thing I know, I see this …gun …coming out of the passenger window. A few shots rang out and everybody hit the ground. When the car drove off, I saw Billy lying on the ground. I ran over but the blood was just pouring out of his chest. A bullet got him straight in the heart."

"What happened to Kenny?"

"Bastard got lucky," he scoffed. He tossed a pebble into the street in anger. "Bullet nicked his shoulder. He was patched up and sent home. He was arrested for possession a few months later and from what I hear, he's been in and out of jail since."

She continued to rub his back, her circles going from small to large to cover his whole back. She sensed he wasn't quite done talking but she made the choice to keep quiet for now. She was tempted to hug his body to hers but she forced herself to refrain. For now at least.

"Billy's biggest dream was to play baseball for the Yankees one day," he spoke deeply, sadly. "He was only eleven. He had his whole life in front of him and because of the stupid decisions his brother made, he'll never get to live out his dream. I just…I don't want anyone else to end up that way. I don't want people, innocent kids to die for the mistakes of others. I want to make these kids' dreams come true, I want to see it happen."

He brought his eyes over to meet hers. She hated the sadness she saw there. Hated that he'd had to see his best friend die and there was nothing he could have done to prevent it.

"So I started the program to keep kids off the streets, away from selling drugs, in a safe environment," he continued. He smiled, "Plus, they get to hang out with pro football players and occasionally get free stuff. It's a win-win for all."

She laughed at his viewpoint. Free stuff was always a perk. She dropped her right hand from its place holding her head up and reached over to grab his hand. Her left arm pulled him closer to her as she pressed a kiss to his cloth-covered shoulder.

"You're a really great guy, Elliot," she told him quietly. Her face was close to his; there was no need to speak any louder. "I mean I know I don't know you that well yet but…" she pressed her forehead and smiled happily, "I gotta say, so far I like what I see."

She watched him lick his lips and found her eyes glued to his mouth. Last night she hadn't been able to stop thinking about the kiss he promised her. She kept imagining what his lips would feel like against hers. Would they be as silky smooth as they looked? Would he take complete control? Or would he mind when she decided to exert some dominance over the situation? She found herself wanting to run her fingers against his lips first, letting each finger graze to her heart's content.

His breath was warm against her face but she didn't have time to get used to it before his lips closed in over hers. She felt his tongue graze over her bottom lip but he didn't push. He took it slow, letting his lips press against hers with feather light touches. When she squeezed his hand, he pushed a little harder. She returned the pressure with fervor. Her hand moved from his back to the back of his head, keeping him exactly where he needed to remain. She took a page from his book and let her tongue run over his bottom lip. But she didn't leave it be like him. She let her teeth brush over the lip as well, eliciting a soft moan from him.

All too soon he pulled back with a smile on his face. She licked her lips and found herself grinning from ear to ear.

"Was that worth the wait?" he asked her huskily.

"A little," she replied coyly, her eyes shining.

He pulled back a bit, his face showing his hurt. "Only a little?"

She pulled his head back to hers, letting her forehead press against his again. Oh, this man was going to be her undoing. One kiss and already she couldn't let him go.

"I think I'll have to investigate further to know for sure."

She only had time to see his smile before his mouth closed over hers again.


	7. Feeling Way Too Damn Good

**May 15, 2011**

He didn't make it out to New Jersey enough.

This was something he heard from his mother every month. He tried telling her it wasn't that easy. He had a job that consumed close to all of his time for seven months out of the year. In the offseason, most of the time he just felt like sleeping and resting up for the upcoming season. The only exception he made was his program.

And now Olivia.

Elliot was debating whether or not telling his mother he had met someone. They'd only been on two dates. Was that enough for him to assume they were slowly becoming a couple? He knew he was throwing out all the signals that told her of his intentions. He was fairly positive he was receiving the same ones from her. His radar wasn't that far gone. And if he had any doubts, he just thought back to that kiss yesterday afternoon. He still had a smile on his face just thinking about it.

He merged into the right lane to get off the expressway. Sometimes he really hated going to visit his mother. He never knew what kind of mood she would be in. One month they were having civil conversations. The next month she wouldn't come out of her room. The month after that they were yelling at each other because Elliot didn't come see her enough and all he wanted was for her to be normal.

At least this time if his mother chose to ignore him he could think about Olivia. She was a bit of an enigma but he had always liked a challenge. And she was so different from Andrea. Andrea was a girly girl through and through. She never would have been out there with him playing baseball and getting dirty. She wasn't a big fan of kids either, which would have been a major problem for him down the line if they had stayed together. He loved kids and he loved his program. Andrea definitely would have fought him on both of those. He had saved his life and happiness by dumping her when he had. It opened up the chance for him to cross paths with Olivia.

Now she…she was amazing.

He couldn't help but watch her with the kids yesterday. She had been in her element, he could tell. Her smile had been so bright. Every time her laughter had rang out he found himself smiling at the sound. She had a great laugh, a laugh he wanted to make sure he always heard. She had impressed him at the game, too. He had a hunch that she wasn't one to let a little dirt scare her and he was right. What he hadn't seen coming were the three home runs she had managed.

She was a wild card. It just didn't seem possible that on the one hand she was a sweet, beautiful woman but on the other she was a tough cop who put away criminals for a living. He wasn't saying she couldn't be both but… it was kind of a turn on.

He slowly pulled into his mother's driveway. He could practically feel his anger starting to boil. It wasn't that he didn't love his mother. He had just tried hard to forget his childhood and all the bad things that had happened. Unfortunately, a lot of those incidents involved his mother. He had been trying harder to keep himself in her life though. Ever since he was drafted by the Giants, he had started making monthly lunch dates with her so they could keep in touch. He would see his teammates with close relationships with their mother and he always found himself wishing he had that, too. He wasn't so brave yet as to ask her to come to one of his games, though.

He never knew what type of mood she would be in. That was what he hated the most. He knew his mother had medication for her disorder but he couldn't understand why she would never take it. The pills had the ability to make her function normally every day. If he had her condition, he'd sure as hell want to feel normal, like other people. That was one of their biggest arguments. He always ended up trying to get her to take her pills and she always refused. Maybe one day she would listen to him.

He found himself knocking on the screen door. The front door was open but he never felt right just walking in. Maybe it was because this way he could determine what type of mood she was in before he even went into the house.

He heard her soft footsteps on the linoleum floor. She always preferred to be barefoot, more so now that she lived at the beach full time.

He saw the surprise on her face when she rounded the corner from the kitchen. She always looked surprised even though she knew he was coming and he called ahead to let her know he was on the way.

"Elliot!" she greeted warmly. He couldn't help but smile back.

"Hi, mom," he waved.

She opened the door and pulled him into her arms. "I've missed you."

"It's only been a week, mama," he chuckled. "I was here for mother's day."

"I can never see my son too much."

He shut the door behind him and tossed his jacket on the hook next to the door. He looked around at the house. She had moved here six years prior after his dad died. She had said she wanted to be free on the beach so he had done some research and found this place for a decent price. He had offered to pay for it but she insisted she could do it on her own. He worried about her out here all on her own. He remembered the way she behaved in his childhood. He was afraid she would be just as crazy out here. Sometimes while he was lying in bed at night, he half expected to receive a phone call from the police saying they'd picked up his mother on the side of the road.

"How've you been, mom?"

"Oh, I can't complain." She led them into the kitchen. "Gladys sold three of my paintings on the boardwalk yesterday."

Elliot couldn't help but smile at the joy in his mother's voice. "That's great. How many is that now?'

"Twelve this month."

"You'll have your own art gallery in no time," he joked. He knew if his mother was offered an art gallery, she be less than enthused. She had let him know on numerous occasions that her art was her own. Yes, she decided to sell some pieces but she wasn't in it for the money. When she was struck with an idea, she simply picked up a brush and started painting. He had to admit, she was pretty good. He found it hard to believe that someone like him had come from someone as creative as her. He must take after his father more than he thought.

Bernie chose to ignore his words luckily and busied herself getting their lunch together.

"I just got some lunch meat from the deli this morning," she told him, setting a plate on the table. "I thought it sounded good today."

"Sounds great, mama. Do you need any help?"

He followed her into the kitchen. While she always shot down his help, he had to offer.

"No, no," she waved him off. "I've got it all under control."

He watched her gather her famous potato salad he loved and put it on the table. He went to the refrigerator and pulled out the lemonade she made for them. She grabbed two glasses from the cabinet and joined him at the table.

"There, now eat up," she ordered him jovially. He dished a healthy portion of potato salad on his plate while she made a sandwich. "So how are you, Elliot?"

"I'm good," he nodded. He put a good portion of turkey a piece of white bread. "Weight training just started so I finally have something to do again."

"Do you still play with those kids?" She daintily dabbed at a potato on her plate.

He nodded again. "It's my program Fight to Live, mom. We met yesterday and played some baseball actually. The kids loved it."

"I think it's nice that you've started that. Kids need something to keep them busy these days. In my day, parents just let their kids run wild but we didn't get into trouble like kids today," Bernie reminisced. He chuckled.

"Well, that's the point of getting them interested in sports," he summed up. "It gives them something to do and they stay active."

His phone chirped in his pocket. His fingers itched to grab it but he remembered his manners. He grabbed hold of his sandwich instead and took a healthy bite. Bernie watched him with a smirk. She had raised him well. He was always respectful of others, especially his elders. He always used his pleases and thank yous as a child. It amazed her how she had managed to raise such a wonderful man.

"Go ahead and answer it," she insisted. "I can see it's killing you."

"No," he shook his head. "I'm here to spend lunch with you, not look at my phone every time it goes off."

"Elliot, just answer your phone before I answer it for you," she mock threatened. She wouldn't have done it and he knew it.

"Mom, it's just a text," he argued but he reached into his pocket while he spoke. He woke it from its sleep and flipped the screen up to reveal what had caught his attention. He smiled when he saw who it was from.

From: Olivia

11:45AM

_Sooo I've thought about it and I've decided that kiss was definitely worth the wait_

From: Elliot

11:46AM

_Worthy enough of a second date? _

He slipped the phone back into his pocket and picked his sandwich up again. He took a bite and looked up to see his mother looking at him with a smile on her face.

"What?" he asked with a full mouth.

"Who's the girl?" she asked knowingly.

"What girl?" he played dumb.

She pointed towards him with her fork. "The one you're talking with."

He didn't say anything. He wasn't sure he wanted his mother to know. None of his girlfriends had every met her. He hadn't trusted his mother's state of mind and he didn't want his girlfriends seeing where he came from. But he got the feeling that Olivia came from a place that was just as messed up as his childhood. If anybody understood, it'd be her. At least it seemed that way so far.

"I never liked that other girl," Bernie continued saying. She waved her hands around in the air searching her memory for a name. "What was her name?"

"Andrea," Elliot automatically supplied. He dropped his sandwich and grabbed his lemonade when something occurred to him. "You never even met her."

"I didn't have to," she insisted. Although, how she knew of Andrea she never actually said. "You never talked about her. That told me she wasn't good enough for my boy. So tell me, what's her name?"

He sipped contemplatively. It couldn't hurt. It didn't mean he had to introduce Olivia to his mom. She may even forget all about Olivia by the time he left. What was he thinking? God, he was such a horrible son. Most men couldn't wait to let their families know about something great in their life. With him, he told all of his friends but hid it from his family. That was messed up. He wasn't doing what he said he was going to. He had promised himself he was going to make more of an effort with his mother, with his siblings. He was going to be present in their lives. He was going to share his life.

"Uh, we've only been on a couple of dates but her name is Olivia."

He watched her eyes light up. "What a beautiful name."

He smiled and nodded. "She's a beautiful woman," he said softly, picturing her smiling face. "She's a cop."

Her face fell. "Don't tell me you were doing something illegal when you met her."

He laughed loudly, his shoulders shaking from the exertion. "No, mama. I met her in the park on her day off actually," he clarified. "We had our first date the other day."

"A cop?" she repeated as if just hearing the words. Elliot nodded. "Hopefully she's a better one than your father."

He nodded since he had nothing to add to that. His father had been a beat cop for thirty some odd years. While he remembered some good times with the man, he remembered hearing the fights between his parents when he was a young boy. Mostly about his father running around with nurses and secretaries. Sometimes about his dad never being there for Elliot and his siblings or never following through with his promises. Elliot couldn't quite bring himself to hate the man; he'd caused so much anger in the young boy. However, he could make sure that he didn't end up like his dad.

"Tell you what," Elliot thought up. Bernie glanced up at him. "I'll let you judge for yourself if our relationship goes somewhere."

The smile his mother gave him told him he was making the right decision.

And it felt pretty good, too.


	8. Love is Strange

**May 19, 2011**

While Olivia loved her job, sometimes she really hated waking up before the sun.

Flinging an arm over the bed, she slapped her alarm to make the beeping stop. She groaned and slammed her face back into her pillow. She'd only gotten a few hours of sleep last night. She kept waking up every few hours, her body anticipating waking up for the detective's exam this morning. It wasn't so much a complete paper exam as it was a review of her work, psychological testing, and some generic scenarios on paper that she would have to answer how to handle properly. She had formerly requested to be promoted to detective just under a month ago. Frank had expressed his sorrow at losing a great partner but Olivia was ready to move on from Narcotics.

It wasn't that she didn't like the unit. No, she loved her job. She loved going to work every day and helping make the streets a cleaner and safer place. She loved solving puzzles from start to finish. But Narcotics wasn't for her. The junkies often reminded her too much of her mother. Serena never popped pills to ease her pain but alcohol was her favorite drug to help her drown her sorrows.

When Karen had told her that getting into Narcotics after being a patrol officer was her best bet at being named detective in a timely fashion she jumped at the chance to be transferred. Karen was the one who told her about the Special Victims Unit. She had encouraged Olivia throughout her career, helping guide her and mentor her. Olivia had been so green when Karen met her. She thought she could save everyone and everything. She thought she could fix every scenario. Karen quickly pulled her back to Earth, letting her know that there wasn't an answer for everything. Karen was the one that told her that when things didn't go her way, she needed to make peace with it quickly or it would eat her up alive.

Without Karen, Olivia would be nothing at the job.

She rolled over onto her back, glancing over at the clock. She still had some time before she absolutely had to be up and about. Smoothing her hands over her face, she exhaled loudly. She didn't feel nervous now but she knew it would hit her hard the minute she got to work. She didn't get nervous easily; it wasn't a good trait of a cop. But when her career was counting on this moment, she knew she would have a hard time keeping her coffee down until it was over.

She rolled onto her side and closed her eyes. Just a few minutes and she would get up. She just wanted to calm her mind. She was on the verge of sleep claiming her when her cell phone rang on her night table. Groaning loudly, she made a mental note to kill Frank when she saw him. She had told him at the beginning of their partnership to never call before six unless the world was coming to an end.

"Benson," she answered, ready to let Frank have it.

"Good morning, future Detective Benson," came a sultry voice on the other end. A smile broke out across her face, all thoughts of Frank out of her mind for good.

"Good morning, Elliot. Do you have any idea what time it is?" she questioned, not really caring the answer. She would gladly wake up to the sound of his voice every day.

He chuckled lowly. "Yeah, I do actually. I wanted to wish you good luck today and I figured I'd catch you before you left for work," he confessed. He made sure to leave out the part where he deliberately set his alarm so he could call her before she left.

His voice was scratchy with sleep. She guessed that he had just woken up, too. She could hear the scratchiness in her own voice.

"Thank you, El," she lowered her voice. She had never called him anything other than Elliot before but El seemed to suit him. It was more… intimate. Especially at six o'eight in the morning.

The use of the nickname wasn't lost on him but he didn't want to ruin the mood by mentioning it.

"You're gonna do great today," he assured, confident. "Before you know it you'll be Detective Benson, girlfriend of the New York Giants quarterback."

That made her eyebrows go up in surprise.

"So we're officially dating now?" she wondered, her voice teasing but unsure. They'd only had a few dates – two back to back and then one just the other day. There had been a significant amount of good night kissing the other night as well. She had been tempted to drag him into her apartment but he had wished her good night before ambling slowly down the hallway. She certainly wanted to see where this was going with him, if it was something permanent or something fun but short term. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so excited about a prospective relationship.

"Well, you know, in my head we are," he joked hoarsely, "so if you could just imagine it too I wouldn't look as crazy."

She laughed, unknowingly fulfilling his goal. The man was funny; she had to give him that. And he didn't try too hard. She had never felt so relaxed with a man before. She had never laughed so much, either.

"Then I guess I should imagine it too," she said slowly. "You know, that way you don't look crazy."

She heard the sheets rustle on the other end of the line. Images of him in bed came to her mind. Did he wear full on pajamas? No, he seemed more like a bottoms only guy. But what kind of bottoms? Pants, boxers, briefs? Or maybe even nothing at all? Hoo, she didn't want to think about that this early in the morning. She'd have to save the thought for later.

"Soooo," he sounded uncertain all of a sudden. "Is there any chance that my girlfriend would be interested in going to dinner with me tonight?"

"I can't tonight but I'm free tomorrow."

"Tomorrow sounds great." She could practically hear the smile in his voice. He had a beautiful smile. "I will let you go now so you can get ready for work. I wouldn't want to be the reason you were late."

"It's okay," she assured. "It's a nice reason to be late."

"I can give you an even better reason to be late," he leered.

"El," she laughed.

"What? I was talking about coffee," he said innocently.

"Yeah, right." She was still laughing. "I'm hanging up now before I really am late."

"Okay, but Liv?" She paused at the nickname. Only Christina called her that but it sounded a hell of a lot nicer coming from Elliot.

"Yeah?"

His vice lowered an octave. "I meant it – you've got nothing to worry about today. You'll get promoted in no time."

"Thank you, El," she murmured equally as low. "I'll call you later, okay?"

He answered in kind before she hesitantly hung up the phone. She smiled as she stared down at her phone in her hand.

Oh yeah.

That was the best way to wake up in the morning.

**EO**

**May 29, 2011**

"Man, can you believe Tagliani?" T.K. complained, throwing his hands up. "First he wins the pole makin' us all think he's a real candidate for the win. Now he's going so slow; my grandmother drives faster than him."

Elliot chuckled. He sipped at his beer. "Nah, I didn't think he was a major threat. My money is staying with Carpenter and Wheldon."

"Seems like a long shot," T.K. criticized.

"What, like Hildebrand and Danica have a better shot?" he retorted.

They were watching the Indianapolis 500, a race they placed bets on every year. Not large bets but not your average household bets either. It started as something just between them but it branched out to their friends over the years. It was no different than other sport betting except the odds were smaller or larger depending on how one approached it. Among T.K. and him, they each picked two drivers and bet money on the position they'd come in. But when they bet with their friends, they put all the driver's names in a hat and drew them one at a time. They each placed a flat bet of fifty dollars. If their driver came in first, they got to take home the most money. If their driver came in second, they got about ten dollars less than first. If their driver was third, it was about fifteen dollars less. And if their driver was the first one to be declared out, they came out even by getting their fifty dollars back. It was friendly betting. No one could get mad at someone else when everything was placed up to chance.

"Danica is still favored to win the race at some point and Hildebrand seems promising," T.K. shot back.

Elliot shrugged. "So we both have an equal shot at one of our drivers coming out on top."

Both men relaxed back on the couch. Elliot took another sip of his beer while T.K. nursed his own. Elliot glanced down at his watch. Olivia was supposed to be there in an hour. The race would be over by then and T.K. would be kicked out. He had promised Olivia a homemade dinner tonight. She had teased how he had been to her apartment numerous times now and she hadn't seen his once. She joked that maybe he wasn't really the Giants quarterback; maybe he was pretending to be him. He countered with an invitation to his humble abode and a special dinner she couldn't get anywhere else in the city. She couldn't possibly say no to an invitation like that.

He got up to check on the sauce simmering on the stove. It took a few hours to make but if he could please Olivia, it would definitely be worth it.

"Man, what are you doing?" T.K. shouted from the living room. "You keep gettin' up like every ten minutes. You got some kinda problem I don't know about?"

"Nah, Olivia's coming over and I'm making dinner from scratch."

T.K. looked confused. His forehead crinkled in thought.

"When did you turn into a wife?"

Elliot glared over at his friend. "You know, some men do like to do nice things for the women they're dating," he advised. He turned his back on the man and continued on to the kitchen.

"Ahhh," T.K. sounded like he'd just gotten Elliot to confess the secret of life to him. "So you and the fine honey are dating?"

"Her name is Olivia," he called out somewhat angrily.

"Ooh, you are serious about her. You never cared when I called Andrea the rich bitch."

Elliot snorted. "Yeah, well that's 'cause she is."

He stirred the sauce a little, checking to see that it wasn't burning before replacing the lid and moving his way back to the living room. He knew T.K. meant no harm when referring to Olivia. That's just the way T.K. was. But he didn't want to hear Olivia be degraded even if it wasn't meant in a malicious manner.

The other man was facing him when he returned to the room. His face was immediately apologetic. He horsed around a lot, joked with all of his friends, moved around from woman to woman but he would kill to be crazy about a woman like Elliot Stabler was. He had never seen his friend so hung up on a woman like this.

"Hey man, you know I didn't mean nothing by that," he apologized.

Elliot waved him off. "No, I know. I'm sorry, man. I'm just….I really like her and I don't want her to be scared off by my crazy teammates."

They both laughed at Elliot's attempt to brush off the incident. The thing about them both was that they never stayed mad at the other long. T.K. was an issue with a lot of teammates but Elliot had always given him the benefit of the doubt. That's what made T.K. like Elliot. He never turned his back on him and he always heard him out before making judgments. He was a good man and he deserved a great woman.

"We won't scare her off," T.K. assured. "We'll treat her like family. I mean, I may have to hit on her every once in a while but…"

Elliot punched him in the shoulder but he had a smile on his face. "You do that and I may have to kick you in the balls."

"Hey, you can't do that," he laughed. "T.K. has to spread his love with the ladies."

"Yeah, speaking of ladies," Elliot resumed his spot on the couch. He looked at the man expectantly. "When are you ever gonna settle down? Sleeping around has to get old at some point."

T.K. looked at him like the man had grown another head.

"It does not get old actually," he corrected. Elliot looked at the man, his expression saying 'get real.' T.K. hung his head. The one person on the team to make him cut the bullshit was Elliot. He was the only person that made him be honest with himself. "Okay, I'd like to be in a relationship like yours but every time I think I found someone who has potential it always ends up they're just playing me or more interested in the fame."

Elliot nodded. "That's always the biggest issue. What you need is a woman that doesn't even watch sports."

"Man, I can't get with someone who doesn't appreciate the sport."

"I'm not saying that," Elliot hurriedly explained. "Olivia doesn't watch sports but she enjoys playing them. And she does watch them with me. You just keep going after all the wrong women. I'm not saying you can't find missus right in the club but it's a long shot."

T.K. glanced up at the TV. There were fifteen laps left with Danica leading for now. Maybe he had a chance.

"You're right, El," T.K. admitted. He rolled back into the couch, "But the honeys in the club are so fine!"

"They're nice to look at," Elliot laughed, "but they're more trouble than they're worth. Especially at the clubs you go to."

T.K. relented. The man had a point. Most of the time he was just looking for a great time. If women wanted to throw themselves at him, he had no problem with that. But sometimes he looked at his friends who had wives or girlfriends and he found himself craving that intimacy. Not that he necessarily wanted it right at this stage in his life but sometime soon. Just long enough for him to finish sowing his wild oats. Then he would settle down.

A knock sounded at the door. Elliot looked at his teammate.

"You didn't invite anyone, did you?"

"No, why would I? This is our bonding time," he jokingly referred. Elliot moved to the front door, running through all of the possible people it could be. When he opened the door, Olivia stood smiling on the other side. He immediately smiled when he saw it was her.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey," she parroted. "Sorry I'm early but my captain let me go early so I thought I'd just go ahead and come over."

"No, that's fine," he assured. He pulled her close and kissed her. He was mindful of his friend in the living room but he couldn't not kiss her. "Welcome to my place."

He ushered her in and shut the door behind her. She had changed out of her uniform already. It was kind of a turn on seeing her in the police uniform but he loved seeing her casual, too. She had on a tight fitting pair of jeans, which hugged her nicely as he observed, and a deep blue tank top. She looked good, but then again she always did.

"T.K. is over right now but he'll be gone soon," Elliot continued on, leading her to the living room. "We're watching the race on TV and we have bets on it."

As if he was listening, T.K.'s voice shouted from the living room, "Yo, El, get in here! It's almost over."

He shot her an apologetic look but she just smiled and motioned to the room.

"Go," she told him. "I know women don't stand a chance when it comes to men and their sports. Besides, I did get here early so I can't be mad."

He grinned and pressed a kiss to her lips again. "You," another kiss, "are," and another, "amazing."

"I know," she grinned cockily. She pressed one last kiss to his lips before pushing him further into the apartment. He grabbed her hand and guided her with him. She took a little time to survey the apartment but she figured she should at least see what it was him and his friend were making a fuss about.

"Who's in the lead?" Elliot asked. He sat on the sectional couch, resting next to T.K. Olivia took the safer option of sitting on the edge of the chaise. She figured she'd have less chance of accidentally getting hit once the outcome of this race made itself known. She saw Elliot look at her and smiled. He tugged her closer, glad when she went willingly.

"That French guy, Bagel or something." T.K. was focused intently on the race in front of them.

"You mean Baguette?" Elliot corrected. Olivia chuckled next to him.

"Yeah, whatever," T.K. waved it off. Elliot shook his head before returning focus to the TV. "This guy just came up out of nowhere but he's definitely gonna have to pit soon. So's Franchiti. He's fallen behind to conserve fuel."

Olivia looked at the men like they were speaking a foreign language she'd never heard before. She'd dated men that were into baseball, basketball, football, but never racing. It was always interesting learning something new. And seeing a new side of Elliot. She had yet to see him actually play football or any sport in a serious fashion. She had played baseball with him in the park but that was with kids. They hadn't even kept score. She was interested to see him in his element.

"Yes! My man is closing in on first!" T.K. shouted. His driver Hildebrand passed the driver in front of him to take over the second position. Baguette went into pit lane, followed closely by the driver Hildebrand just passed. "And he's in first!"

"It's not over yet," Elliot reminded. His driver Wheldon was in fourth. "There're still three laps to go."

Both men fell silent while Olivia continued to look on in silence. She would never understand men and sports but she had learned to accept it as a fact of life. She didn't understand why they took it so seriously, like it was something that was actually happening to them instead of something they were watching on TV.

She watched as a white flag was waved, prompting T.K. to go wild.

"Ahh, he's gonna do it," he cheered. "The rookie's gonna do it."

"Anything can happen, man," Elliot voiced from the side. His eyes were just as intent as T.K.'s.

"Here he goes, here he goes, here he goes," T.K. kept saying, almost like a chant. He was practically dancing in his seat. Olivia watched, fascinated at the man's actions. "Come on, come on, come on….Ooooooh."

"Oh, my god!" Elliot practically yelled.

They all watched as Hildebrand hit the wall high to the outside of the fourth turn, parts of his car shattering and scattering over the track while one of his wheels turned in a 180 degree angle. His car kept moving though, skating along amongst the other drivers.

"Look, look, look," Elliot pointed to the screen. His driver Dan Wheldon was coming up fast, passing Hildebrand seconds after he hit the wall before pulling around him to take the lead. And the checkered flag. "Yes!"

"Man, this is rigged!" T.K. protested. He watched as Hildebrand glided across the finish line in second place. "This is some bullshit."

"Oh man, you are such a bad loser," Elliot laughed. He leaned back into the couch, wrapping an arm around Olivia's waist.

"Man, you'd be saying the same thing if you'd just lost." He walked in a small circle around the room before turning back to the couch. He noticed Olivia for the first time since she walked in. He pointed to her, confusion on his face. "When she get here?"

"About five laps ago," she told him with a smirk. She watched him glance down at his watch before looking back up at her. "I got off work early so I thought I'd come over."

"So that means you're leaving," Elliot added with a grin.

T.K.'s mouth fell open. "I can't even get to know her a little first? I can keep her company while you make dinner."

Elliot pretended to think about it before shaking his head. He stood up to stand in front of the man.

"No, you'll ruin my game."

"Your game?" T.K. and Olivia said at the same time with similar expressions.

He laughed. "Yes, my game. I can't make a romantic dinner with you here trying to hit on my girlfriend."

"I wouldn't hit on her the whole time," T.K. promised. Elliot pushed him towards the door. "Come on, you gotta leave me alone with her at some point."

"Say goodbye," Elliot ordered. T.K. waved at Olivia before complying with Elliot. He exited the apartment without a fuss, clasping hands with Elliot before making his way down the hallway. Elliot yelled after him, "And don't forget you owe me money."

Shaking his head, he returned to Olivia who had focused her gaze on the closing ceremonies of the race.

"Sorry about him," he apologized out of habit. "I swear he's really a nice guy."

"Don't worry," she chuckled, "I'm used to guys like him. I can handle him."

"Good 'cause he probably won't stop anytime soon." He turned off the TV letting silence fall over them comfortably. "Want the tour?"

She nodded and accepted his outstretched hand. She had noticed the apartment seemed to suit him. It was smaller than she would have thought. She estimated that it was maybe a fraction bigger than hers. But she knew from the sight of the terrace that it certainly cost a hell of a lot more than hers did.

The sectional she was sitting on was a dark gray, complimenting the hardwood floors. There was a long black coffee table in front of it. The TV they had been watching was mounted in the corner of the room across from the couch. Its placement assured that it didn't obstruct the view out the windows. The windows were tall, stretching almost from ceiling to floor. There was a door leading to the terrace across from the couch and before the kitchen. She could see plants out there, shocking her because he didn't seem like a plant kind of guy.

She let him give her the tour. He seemed kind of nervous when he showed her his bedroom but why she couldn't tell. She chuckled as he hastily cleaned some dirty clothes off the floor. She could see that the terrace continued on to where the bedroom was. There was a door leading out to it next to the bed.

His bedding was navy blue, a color she was noticing seemed to be his favorite. But it suited the room. The walls were white so the dark color of the bedding brought back control of the room. He had some paintings on the wall across from the bed, abstract ones. When she asked about them he laughed and said he only got them to make the room look less open.

In the hallway leading to the front door, he had some framed awards and articles from his days in football. He had explained that while he was proud of them, he didn't want to look at them every day in his bedroom so he hung them in the hallway. It was better that way, she had told him. It painted a picture of a man who was proud of his accomplishments but he didn't want to make a big deal out of them.

"And this is the terrace," he announced, waving his arms like Vanna White on an episode of Wheel of Fortune. She walked ahead of him, taking in the view around them.

"This is beautiful," she exhaled. New York City was spread out before her eyes, the tops of buildings dotting the horizon for miles.

"It's what attracted me to this place," he murmured softly next to her. "I always wanted to be able to look out over the city and now I finally can."

She walked the length of the terrace. There were two lounge chairs in the area off of the bedroom. The area overlooked the Manhattan portion of the city. She could see the Empire State Building in the distance. Over by the living room there was a small table with a couple of chairs. This portion overlooked Battery Park and the Hudson.

"It's just a temporary place, though," he continued on. "I've been thinking about looking around for a house."

"Really?" she looked over at him. "How come?"

He shrugged and placed his hands on the railing. "I figure I can't live the bachelor's life forever. Plus I wanna get a dog and I'd like a yard to put it in."

* * *

**A/N:** This is part one. The chapter was too large for me to keep it together as one.


	9. Love is Strange part 2

A/N: Because of my immense boredom on my day off, I thought I'd go ahead and post part 2.

* * *

Dinner was pleasant. Olivia couldn't remember the last time someone had made dinner for her. Most men wanted to wow her with expensive restaurants and wine. Truth was she was happy with a simple dinner and good conversation.

They had been sitting out on the terrace for about an hour now. The sun was still up in the distance but it was fading fast. It wouldn't be long until the lights of the city overwhelmed the darkness of the night.

"Okay, okay, my turn," Olivia's voice filtered through the night. She leaned her head back against the lounge chair as she thought of a good question to ask him. For the past thirty minutes or so they had been bouncing embarrassing questions back and forth. Some were stupid, others caused them to blush. The only rule was they both had to answer the question asked, not just the person it was directed at. "What is…what is…. what is… oh, what is the weirdest place you've had sex?"

Elliot groaned. "Oh, I can't believe you went there!"

He rubbed a hand over his face while he wracked his brain. He knew she was probably thinking he was pretty adventurous when it came to sex. Their flirting had been her first indication. But he had been raised to be a good Catholic boy. He hadn't seen his first Playboy until he was fourteen. Kissed a girl a year after that. Had sex with his girlfriend three years after that, though it wasn't as though he hadn't tried to do the deed sooner. He loved sex but he had been taught that it was only supposed to happen at one time of day, one way, and only for procreation purposes. It wasn't that he felt guilty when he had sex that wasn't in the bedroom. He had just never been with someone that made him want it anytime, anywhere, any way.

"The weirdest place would have to be…. My girlfriend's parent's house…"

"That's not weird," she interrupted.

"…in a closet while they were hosting a high class function."

She busted out laughing.

"And," he continued, chuckling himself now, "we almost got busted by her mother when she put the mayor's coat in the closet."

She laughed harder, her body lifting off the chair from the effort. She set her wine glass down so she wouldn't spill it all over herself. Elliot laughed alongside her, rubbing his neck sheepishly.

"It may not be the weirdest place ever," he explained, "but I damn near died right there when that door opened."

"How come she didn't see you?" Olivia managed to breathe out.

"We were kinda behind some coats; it was a big closet. But it helped that Brooke was talking and not really paying attention to what she was doing."

"Oh, I would have _died_ if that was my mother. Plus she would have kicked my ass."

He chuckled, taking a sip of his wine. He was dying to hear her answer but he wanted to wait until a modest amount of time had passed. He didn't want to make himself obvious. He bet she had had sex in some pretty weird places. She was a modest woman but she had a feistiness about her. She was sassy with an adventurous side.

Her laughter subsiding, she followed his lead and took a sip of her wine. It was their third glass of the night, giving her a nice little buzz to go along with the relaxing and silly atmosphere.

"Your turn," he reminded her. She nodded.

"The weirdest place I've ever had sex would have to be…when I was dating a firefighter and we had sex in the fire truck. Or when I was dating the corporate banker and we did it in the conference room during business hours."

Elliot's mouth hung open in shock. He had been wondering but to hear her confirm his suspicions was…mind blowing. She said everything so casually, like she was just telling him about her day. The smirk on her face told him she knew she had surprised him.

"You are a wild woman, aren't you?' he asked in wonderment.

She shrugged innocently and smiled sheepishly. "I was fresh out of college and having fun with my newfound freedom. I exited that phase almost as soon as I entered it. What can I say? The urge hit and we had to…. satisfy it."

"You make me look pathetic."

"There's still time for you to catch up. I haven't done anything too wild since then."

"You haven't had a boyfriend since then?" he asked her incredulously.

"No, I didn't say that, but my boyfriends haven't really been long lasting."

He leaned closer, his hand grabbing her arm to pull her closer to him. "That's gonna change," he whispered before he brushed his lips across hers.

"Is that so?" she teased. Her heart was pounding in her chest at his admission. None of her boyfriends had ever alluded that they were sticking around for the long haul. Sure, they all had good intentions in the beginning but once they got a taste of her hours they were out the door faster than they could say goodbye. She knew every relationship wasn't meant for the long haul. Hell, most of hers just ended up being fun, something to take up time. But she was tired of seeing all of her friends getting married and having babies.

He kissed her again, longer this time. He could practically feel her doubts radiating off herself but he was there to put a stop to them.

"Yup," he responded to her question after lifting his lips from hers. His voice was cocky and confident.

She narrowed her eyes at him but her tone remained teasing. "You seem pretty sure of yourself." Her hand found his and laced their fingers together.

"Someone has to be," he smiled. "Your other boyfriends sure weren't. Not enough to handle a spitfire like you."

They both chuckled at his words. His thumb smoothed across the back of her hand.

"So why'd you break up with your last boyfriend?" he asked. It was his turn to ask a question.

She leaned back in her chair but kept his hand in hers. "He didn't like my hours. At first he didn't care but after a few canceled dates, he got mad. I broke it off with him. There wasn't any chemistry. Well, on my end at least. He was a nice guy but I didn't see it going anywhere. What about you?"

"Me? Well, I broke up with my last boyfriend about a year ago. Turns out he didn't like football and I just couldn't get with that."

He tried hard to hold back his smile but when she punched his shoulder, he busted out laughing.

"Mr. Funny Man," she poked, laughing.

"All right, all right." He sniffled and drank the rest of his wine. "I broke up with Andrea because I was tired of being used for my fame and fortune. I knew that's why she was really with me but in the beginning it didn't matter to me."

"So why'd you stay with her if you knew she just wanted your money?"

"I don't know. I think I just liked having someone with me. I liked having someone to dote on and take to fancy dinners. But eventually, all her little habits and 'must haves' started annoying me. I knew she was used to a certain lifestyle and I didn't want to provide that to her anymore. I realized I was delusional thinking we were in a good relationship. She was using me and I was letting her."

She tightened her hold on his hand. His eyes moved to hers. "I'm used to the poor lifestyle. I'm a cop and we make shit for money but I like it so I can promise you I'm not after your money."

He smiled. "I know. I could tell when you didn't look at me like I was telling you to cut up all your designer labels when I asked you to play baseball as a date."

"Hey, that was a great date idea," she defended for him. "Any woman would be crazy not to like it."

"Then Andrea is twelve kinds of crazy because god forbid I ever ask her to get her hands dirty."

They laughed at that. She had meant what she said. She thought he was just another guy until Frank had pointed out that she had happened to stumble upon a pro football quarterback. She liked him before she knew who he was and his job hadn't changed her opinion. He was a great guy. He didn't try too hard and he wasn't trying to be someone he wasn't. He was sweet and kind. He had a great sense of humor that matched hers. He was a great kisser. And he could cook!

This man was an all-around, top-notch package and she was going to do everything in her power to keep him in her grasp.

She knew her insecurities and worries and fears and hours on the job would probably make him frustrated further down the line when the puppy love stage wore off. But he already knew her biggest secret and he was still around. She had a feeling his hours would be just as crazy once football season started up. They'd probably be missing each other's calls and canceling dinners left and right.

'_God, I hope this can work_,' she thought to herself. She shivered. '_I need to stop speculating and freaking myself out_.'

"Oh, I am so sorry," she heard Elliot apologizing. She looked over at him. "Are you cold? I should've given you something when the sun went down."

"It's okay," she assured him. She chuckled when she watched him get up and go back into the apartment. "I didn't even realize it until just now."

He came back out holding the Giants sweatshirt he had been wearing earlier in the evening. He had taken it off when he began cooking dinner. She felt little butterflies in her stomach at the fact that he was giving her his sweatshirt to wear. There was something very…sexual and intimate about a woman wearing a man's clothes. She still had a shirt from her old firefighter boyfriend and a pair of shorts from a college boyfriend. She had broken up with both of them on good terms so it brought back good memories when she wore the clothes. She knew the minute she put on Elliot's sweatshirt, he wasn't ever getting it back.

"Here, this'll keep you warm," he promised. She slipped it over her head. It still held the warmth from his body. Inhaling a little, she could smell the cologne he wore lingering around the collar. She thanked him and they resumed to their previous positions.

She watched him. He was outlined by the light from the apartment and the city. He was still somewhat of an enigma. They hadn't spent much time talking about their childhoods or biggest fears or doubts in life. She was going to remedy that. She wanted to know more about the man.

"Elliot?" She waited until his eyes found hers. "Tell me something about you that no one else knows."

His forehead crinkled in confusion. Clearly he wasn't expecting her to ask him something like that. He tried to play it off with humor.

"Ooh, I think my brain cells might burst from that effort." Her face remained the same, though. She was serious. He tried a different approach. "Do you want sad, happy, funny, embarrassing?"

She shrugged. "I just want to know something about you that no one else knows."

"Are you reciprocating this information?"

She smiled and shook her head. "No, you already know my biggest secret."

This time his eyes widened from the surprise. He was surprised she had trusted him with her secret. He didn't even know everything about Andrea and he had dated her for a year. This woman though…she had told him her biggest secret on their first date. Clearly she trusted him so he would show her that same trust.

He stood and moved to sit on her lounge chair. He didn't want the distance separating them. She moved her legs to accommodate him. He swallowed a few times. His mouth was suddenly drier than a desert but he would get his story out if it killed him.

"When I was five, there was a big snowstorm," he began. His eyes stayed rooted to a spot on the ground. It was easier than staring her in the eye. Not that her gaze was judging and accusing but because the story would come out easier when her compassion wasn't staring him in the face. "My mom thought it would be…fun…to drive into the city. We lived in Queens at the time. The snowstorm completely shut down everything. Businesses, taxis, subways, nothing was functional for days. But my mom wanted to drive into the city…chasing snowflakes. I can still hear myself yelling for her to slow down, that we needed to stop. It was all fun for her until we ran into a telephone pole. She was fine but uh…my arm was broken in the accident. I never told anyone what really happened. They all think I broke my arm climbing a tree."

Her hand found his arm, running up and down the length of it in comfort.

"Sounds like we both had shitty childhoods," she murmured softly. He smirked.

"It wasn't all like that. See, my mom…is, uh… she's bipolar. I've never told anyone that, either." He met her eyes and was relieved to see she wasn't looking at him differently. "She was normal maybe..twenty percent of the time. Fifteen percent of the time she was too depressed to get out of bed. She was flighty and crazy thirty five percent of the time. And thirty percent of the time she was threatening to leave my dad, throwing things and yelling. But even in the middle of that, I still love my mom no matter how much I want her to be different."

Her head fell to the side as she drew her fingers through her hair. "I know how you feel. My mom was...unbearable to live with sometimes. But I still love her."

His hand found hers and laced their fingers together. He couldn't help but notice the way they fit together perfectly, like they were made for one another.

"Then it sounds like we're more alike than I thought," he expressed softly.

She surprised him by rising up and kissing him softly but deeply on the lips. The fingers of her right hand found their way to the short hands of hair on the back of his head. He responded in kind, his free hand moving to rest behind her to balance himself so he wouldn't topple them both over. Before it became too heated, she pulled back but pressed her forehead against his. She spent a few seconds getting her breath back before she spoke.

"Thank you for telling me that," she whispered. She pressed a kiss to his forehead before putting a few inches between them. Her fingers stayed threaded through his hair, though, soothing both parties.

"Wanna know something else?" he whispered close to her face. She nodded eagerly.

He leaned in closer.

"I got a pedicure once," he whispered shamefully. He squeezed his eyes shut for the judgment to come. Olivia's hands flew from his body. He popped one eye open to see her cover her mother, laughter spewing out rapidly.

"Oh, my god, you did not!"

He couldn't help but grin at the sound of her laughter. She had the most amazing laugh. It was so boisterous and loud and infectious. He found himself chuckling alongside her.

"You want to know the worse part?" He didn't bother waiting for a response. "I actually liked it."

"Did you get your toe nails painted, too?" she managed to ask.

"No, I did not. That wouldn't have been manly."

"What? And a pedicure is?" He didn't bother to answer. He didn't have an answer but that didn't seem to bother her.

Slowly, her laughter settled down enough for her to resume her lounging position. Her eyes were heavy, partly from the wine, partly because of the man sitting in front of her. If she had any doubts before, they were long gone now. There was some heavy chemistry between the two of them. The stories and secrets they had shared tonight had strengthened it.

In the sweetest voice she could muster, she asked him, "Can I paint your toe nails sometime?"

His eyebrows shot up but he didn't shy away from her. He leaned down, pressing his body to hers in the chair until he was almost lying next to her.

"If I stick around long enough and you can hold me down, sure," he teased. He grinned at her, happy to see her return it. His legs meshed with hers, slipping one in between hers. She grinned at the security. Her fingers threaded through his hair again, smoothing over and over. She enjoyed the feel of it beneath her fingertips. She found it relaxing her. She felt like she could fall asleep right here in the safety of his arms on his terrace overlooking New York City.

"I know you're joking, but just you wait," she teasingly threatened. She tapped his nose with her finger. "I'm actually gonna do it. With some hot pink nail polish."

"Okay, see, no," he stopped her. "I can get on board with a manly color but hot pink? I don't think so."

She smiled broadly. "Tough. I'll be the one calling the shots. Remember, I have handcuffs."

"Oooh, that's kinda hot," he leered. "In that case, you go ahead and handcuff me all you want."

She laughed and gently pushed his head to the side. "I knew that would get your attention."


	10. How Will I Know

**June 13, 2011**

She flipped through the papers on her desk. It wasn't so much a desk as the conference table turned into several people's desk over the course of their investigation. They were trying to uncover a prostitution ring running drugs in Chelsea. The girls were running drugs for local drug dealers but everyone had been very hush hush. It wasn't the prostitutes they wanted but their suppliers. Olivia's job was to gain the trust of the girls and get them to talk. So far, three of them had given her hints and clues but hadn't said anything outright. She enjoyed filling in the pieces in this large puzzle but these girls were tough. She just needed one of them to say the right thing to bring the whole operation into place and take the bad guys down.

"So Liv," Frank sided up next to her. "When am I gonna get to meet your famous boyfriend?"

"Shh, don't say that out loud!" she shushed him. She looked around the room but no one had heard Frank's loud voice. "You're the only who knows I'm dating Elliot."

"And yet I've never met the guy even though you promised," he reminded in a sing-song voice. She wanted to smack the dopey look off his face.

"Because I don't want you to embarrass me, Frank," she said, flashing him a fake smile. She resumed her work.

He gasped for air, clutching his heart. "That hurts. Deep."

"You'll get over it, Frank." She spread some papers out on the table so she could get the bigger picture in her head. She tried to ignore Frank but it wasn't working so well. She could feel his eyes beating into her, silently begging her to give in to his wishes. She signed in frustration. "Frank, I would. I really would. But he always has people coming up to him asking for an autograph or a picture. He says he doesn't mind but I really don't want to push my luck. He's the best thing to happen to me in a while."

Frank leaned his hip against the table, crossing his arms as a smile came over his face.

"Ahh, are we thinking he may be the one?"

"I wouldn't go that far yet," but she couldn't help but smile. She looked over at her partner. "But he is pretty special."

"I never thought I'd see the day," he shook his head. "Badass Benson's falling in love."

She scoffed. "I am not," she lied.

"I don't know. You have that sparkle in your eyes. You smile when you talk about him. You text him all the time. You have all the classics signs of," he leaned in closer so he could whisper in her ear, "_love_."

She laughed while she shoved him away with her elbow. "Get out of my face, Frank. Yes, I like him a lot but I'm trying not to jinx anything."

"Benson!"

The partners turned their eyes to the source of the voice. Their captain, Captain Nancy Barry, stood at the end of the hallway outside of her office.

"My office. Got a message for you." And then she disappeared.

Olivia looked at Frank in confusion. "Did my mother call and I wasn't here or something? Did I do anything out of the ordinary lately?"

Frank looked just as confused. He shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think so."

"Well, wish me luck." She closed the folders she had been working with before moving past Frank and towards her fate.

She tapped on the door before entering the office.

"Did I do something, Captain?"

Nancy motioned to the chairs in front of her desk. Olivia took one out of habit. She got along well with her captain, which was more than she could say for some of her fellow officers. Most had no issue reporting to a woman but every once in a while there would be a tussle in the bull pen because someone didn't like a call played.

"No, no, you've been doing a great job lately." Nancy was distracted while she spoke, though. She was searching for something in her top desk drawer. "I know I don't tell my officers that enough but I'm always thinking it."

Olivia chuckled. She was still a little on edge. It was typically never a good thing when one was called into her office. The last time she had been called in was when she had made a huge error in judgment and a suspect had managed to get away. It felt horrible being reamed out by her captain but in made her more cautious on the job.

"No, I uh, I received some good news today and I thought you'd want to hear it," Nancy continued. She searched through her desk for another second before finally finding what she was looking for. She kept it out of Olivia's sight, though, making the butterflies in her stomach increase tenfold. She smiled at Olivia. "Had lunch with an old friend today and he told me they have room for you in their squad."

As she spoke she moved her hand, and the object, onto the desk for Olivia to see. The breath left her body when she saw what it was.

"Congratulations," Nancy smiled but Olivia had already tuned everything out. Olivia slowly reached out and accepted the gold covered badge.

_City of New York Police Detective 4015_

She had done it. She passed. She had actually done it. She'd had doubts but she passed. She passed her fingers over the ridges of the top before running her thumb over the number.

_Her_ number.

_Her_ badge.

Nothing had ever felt so….special, so… amazing.

"You start as detective third grade," Nancy continued. She understood Olivia's awe. She had been the same way when she had been promoted to captain. "You wanted to be placed in Special Victims, right?"

Finally looking up at her captain, Olivia nodded.

"I told Don about you, how you're a great police officer who's going places. He told me they have a spot open and that he'd love to have you in his squad."

Olivia's face blanched in shock. "Really?" she squeaked out. Nancy nodded but leaned forward and rested her arms on her desk.

"I had to tell him your reason why you wanted in the department, though," she confessed. "He's a trustworthy man and he won't let the information slip to anyone."

"Why, uh, why would he have to know why I want to be in the department?" She didn't know how she felt about someone knowing her life story but it wasn't likely it would remain a secret her entire life. She was a cop. People had access to her files, to her mother's file.

"Not a lot of people can handle Special Victims, Olivia. It takes a certain type of person. Typically, these people have a story or a background that makes them want to work with the victims that Special Victims sees," Nancy informed her. Her voice grew soft as she continued, "Don thinks you'll be a real asset to his team. And I agree. You're a wonderful cop, Olivia."

"Thank you," Olivia muttered weakly. She'd always had trouble accepting compliments, even when they pertained to her job. She strived to be the best cop she could be every time she stepped out on the street. In her heart she knew she was a good cop, but when someone said the words out loud… She never quite believed them no matter who was telling her.

Nancy stood and rounded her desk. "As soon as we bust this case open, you can transfer and officially start as a detective. I feel like the girls will spill their guts soon and Donato and Nicholas got a strong lead this morning about a supplier. This case will be shut in no time."

"I'm putting together an outline of the major players, matching up girls with certain guys. I think they each get their stash from a different member," Olivia relayed automatically.

"Well, you can take the rest of the day. It's supposed to rain tonight so I doubt any of the girls will be out for a long time," Nancy predicted. She smiled at Olivia as the younger woman stood from her chair clutching her new badge in a death grip. "Go celebrate."

Olivia chuckled. "Thank you, Captain. I'll do that."

She wasted no time grabbing her things from her locker. She had barely managed to let Frank know what happened before leaving the precinct. She was too excited to sit around and talk about it with him.

There was someone else she wanted to tell her good news to.

"Hey, baby, what's up? I was just thinking about you," Elliot's voice crooned through the phone.

Olivia chuckled. "No, you weren't, you liar."

"No, I really was," he swore. "I was just thinking that I should call you and see if I could take you out to lunch today."

"I'm sorry, I had an early lunch today 'cause I didn't get breakfast this morning," she apologized. Grinning madly, she continued, "But how would you like to take me out to dinner tonight to celebrate?"

He could sense her excitement through the phone but he was having trouble wracking his brain thinking of reasons why she was so excited.

"That sounds great," he agreed. "But what are we celebrating?"

"I made detective!" she blurted out, squealing and laughing at the same time. She was fighting the urge to jump up and down. She didn't need complete strangers on the street staring at her.

Now it all made sense. He mentally slapped himself for not putting the pieces together. He had asked her just the other day if she had heard any news about where she stood about making detective. At the time he could tell she was trying to put on a brave face and keep her spirits up but he knew she was expecting the worst. She hadn't shown a lot of faith in herself but he figured his good faith would work just as well as hers.

"That's great, Liv! I knew you would do it!" He was grinning like a maniac. Some of his teammates were looking at him like he was crazy but he didn't care.

His girlfriend had just made detective.

**E**

**O**

"You are still on cloud nine, aren't you?" Elliot asked his girlfriend who was currently grinning from ear to ear. She nodded and took another sip of her wine.

They had made their way back to her apartment after dinner. He had treated her to a very expensive dinner, one where she balked at the prices of the meals, but he had assured her he wanted to treat her to a special evening. After the first bottle of wine, she had stopped complaining.

They were on their third bottle of wine of the evening. It had been her idea. She had a pleasant buzz and she was borderline drunk but she didn't want to stop celebrating. They were settled comfortably on her couch. She had kicked her heels off the moment she walked through the door. He had shed his jacket and tie but kept his shoes on. He didn't want to overstay his welcome nor push his luck.

"I think I will be on cloud nine for months," she admitted. She had been smiling nonstop throughout dinner, before and after as well. He liked seeing her this happy. It made her glow. She dropped her head against his arm that was lining the back of the couch. "Thank you again for dinner. It was amazing."

"Baby," he chuckled, his finger grazing her cheek, "you already thanked me three times."

She giggled. "I'm tipsy. I can't remember."

"Why do I feel like you are a very fun drunk?" he grinned. She stuck her tongue out at him while he took her wine away from her. "That's enough for you."

She hummed happily, glad to let him take care of her. She was glad he was here with her. She wouldn't want to celebrate this moment with anyone else. They were pressed close together on the couch. They sat sideways facing one another. She had flung one of her legs over his to keep him in place. Her head rested comfortably against the back of the couch; it felt like too much effort to keep holding it up. He was running his fingers through the strands of hair closest to her face, keeping them pushed back so he could see her. He had a grin on his face but she couldn't figure out why.

He had never seen a more attractive drunk person. She called herself tipsy but she was definitely drunk. She had a nice reason, though. She was celebrating. He was glad he was here to celebrate this moment with her.

"Frank asked about you today," she interrupted the silence with her voice. "He keeps wanting to know when he can meet you."

"Frank's your partner?" he tried to remember. He hadn't had as much wine as her but he'd had enough make names fuzzy.

She nodded. "Yeah, he's a big football fan and you're his favorite player."

He mulled over that for a second. She had told him about Frank before. Frank was the one to tell her who he was exactly. She had even mentioned that Frank wanted to meet him but it had never happened. He had told her he wouldn't mind meeting the man that was supposed to have her back everyday but they had never been introduced. In fact, he'd never met anyone she worked with.

"You know, I've never met anyone you work with," he mused out loud. He squinted his eyes as he looked at her. "Are you embarrassed you're dating me?"

"No, god no!" she rushed out too quickly for him to think she was lying. It helped that the alcohol was loosening her tongue. She grabbed his hand that was resting on her thigh and linked their fingers together. "It's just… I don't want to push my luck. A lot of the guys I work with love football. I don't want them hounding you for autographs or tickets. I don't want them to scare you away."

"No one could ever scare me away from you, Liv," he assured soothingly. He couldn't help the slight chuckle that escaped his lips. "And I don't mind signing autographs if it gives my girlfriend 'cool points' with her coworkers."

But she didn't hear anything he said.

"And it's just so hard for a woman to be a cop in a man's world," she continued on. Her eyes found a spot on her dress and focused on it. "I don't… I don't want them seeing that I'm dating a … prominent figure of our society. I don't need them thinking I'm some stuck up bitch who needs fancy things and special attention. I'm enough of a bitch as it is."

"Olivia," he chuckled. He cupped her face in his hands to bring her gaze to his. He made sure they maintained eye contact while he spoke. "You're a very attractive woman. Of course a lot of men are gonna be interested in you from losers and lowlifes to bankers and lawyers and handsome professional football players."

She grinned at his attempt to cheer her up but it wasn't enough to change her mind. A lot of men were turned off by what she did. Once they found out she was a police officer, either they were too interested or they couldn't handle that the woman they were dating had a more dangerous job than they did.

"Do you mind that I'm a cop?" she wondered meekly.

"You're a detective," he corrected with a big grin. It was infectious; she found herself grinning in return. But he turned serious and answered her honestly. "No, I don't mind. I mean at first it was kinda like 'holy shit, I can't believe she's a cop.' But I've gotten used to it and I've learned who you are as a person. I know how much you love your job and I'm glad you have a job you love just like I do. I worry but I know there's not much I can do 'cause I'm not gonna tell you to quit. Just as long as you come back to me at the end of the day, I'm okay with your job."

She nodded, relieved he felt that way. She really did love her job. She couldn't picture herself doing anything else with her life. When her time came, she wanted to leave Earth feeling like she had made a difference, like she had helped at least one person have a better life.

"And it's kinda hot," he continued after a minute. He looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "You out there. Bustin' perps. Sending people to jail. Puttin' 'em in handcuffs…" He leered over at her suggestively. "Wanna put me in handcuffs?"

She laughed out loud. Finally! He had succeeded in his mission.

He cuddled her closer to him. "I love that you're a cop," he murmured. His nose pressed into her cheek. "And I'm so proud of you for making detective."

She caressed the nape of his neck. "You're such a sweet talker," she teased in a whisper. "And you know all the right things to say."

He captured her lips in a flash. She responded immediately, matching his fervor with equal passion. Both hands tangled together at the back of his head, making sure he stayed in position. His right hand found her thigh, trailing up and down with a light touch that made her want to giggle and moan at the same time. Her dress came down to her knees but it had been pushed up once she sat down earlier. His fingers were working on finding the bare skin underneath the dress.

Her tongue reached out to meet his when his lips crashed down on hers again. She felt her spine tingling from the taste of him. She had always enjoyed kissing, even after her disastrous first attempt with Stephen Crawford in eighth grade. But kissing with Elliot was on a whole 'nother level. Every time, she felt so consumed by him, so secure and content. She had never felt any of that with others.

She felt herself being lowered, her back coming to lie flat against the couch. His lips made their way down the side of her neck. She sighed, feeling like she was in heaven. She lifted her leg up higher, biting back the urge to just wrap it around his waist. His body settled into the valley she created for him. Pressing a few final kisses to her neck, he worked his way back up to her lips. He took the roundabout way, peppering kisses to her chin, cheeks, and nose before finally reaching her lips. She scratched her nails against the back of his head, smiling against his lips when she heard his moan.

His fingers danced up and down her leg, touching lightly in some places while gripping in others. They moved to her calf before trailing back up to caress her thigh. When she felt them moving higher until they danced along the edges of her underwear, she knew she had to tell him what was on her mind.

"Do you mind if we take this slow?" she asked slowly, already wincing in anticipation of the anger.

"No, no," he said after a moment, clearing his throat. His breathing was heavy but he didn't sound mad. She could feel the hint of his erection against her thigh. "But uh, can I ask why?"

"Just been burned a few too many times," she admitted shyly. "I like you a lot and I really don't want to blow this."

"I like you a lot, too," he whispered, smiling. He kissed her to let her know he wasn't mad. She had a point. He really liked her; he didn't want to screw anything up by adding sex into the mix too soon. "We'll go as slow as you want. But if we're talkin a year or two, I'm gonna have to break up with you now."

She punched his shoulder but she laughed at his humor. She loved how he did that. She knew it had to make him a little mad. Hell, she would be a little mad if someone had done that to her. But he never hesitated to cut through a tense moment with a little humor to reassure her that all was well.

"Shut up," she laughed at him. "Not years, just…I don't want to rush into anything too soon just yet."

"Then we'll take this as slow as you want…" he grinned at her, "as long as I can still feel over the clothes."

Her laughter filled the apartment once again.

God help her, she was pretty sure she loved this man.


	11. Maybe I'm Amazed

**June 18, 2011**

"I still cannot believe that you - Olivia Benson, my best friend - are dating an NFL quarterback," Christina practically yelled from the passenger's seat. "And you only told me about it last night."

Olivia winced. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to jinx it by telling everyone. Like I said, we've only been dating for a couple of months. If it helps, you're the first person I've told."

"Really?" Christina smiled over at her friend. Olivia winced again.

"Well, Frank knows…"

"I'm second?" Christina yelled.

"…but I didn't actually tell him! He just… kinda… found out."

Christina huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn't really as mad as she was acting but it did sting a little that her best friend hadn't even told her who she was dating until last night. She knew Olivia was happier but she hadn't really known why. She'd had her suspicions but none of them panned out. At first, she just thought it was because of a one night stand but when her happy mood continued for the entire week she knew it was something else. She had only made detective last week so that certainly wasn't the cause of her good mood in May. Whatever had caused the excellent mood, she was grateful for it. For too long she had seen her friend put on a strong front while she was dying inside. It's about time it was her turn for a little eternal happiness.

"I'm really sorry, Chris, but it wasn't intentional. Well, maybe a little, but I didn't want to start blabbing around town that I'm dating Elliot Stabler if it wasn't going to last for more than a couple of weeks."

She nodded. "I understand that but still… There better be some single, hot football players there today 'cause that's the only way I can forgive you."

"I think that can be arranged," Olivia laughed. She glanced over at her friend. "Thanks for coming with me today."

"No problem," she shrugged. "I like football. I like kids. And I figure I can handle a day of hitting on football players."

"Are you kidding? They won't have to wait for you to hit on them. They'll hit on you the minute they see you," she corrected.

Christina made a clicking noise with her mouth. "Yeah, you're right."

"You are so full of yourself, Chris," Olivia laughed. Christina joined her.

"Hey, a little confidence never hurt anyone."

They pulled into the parking lot of the MetLife Stadium. Olivia threw the VIP parking pass Elliot had given onto her dashboard. The security guard directed her to spot close to the player's entrance. She'd never been here before. She enjoyed football when it was on in a bar when she was there but she had never actually sat down and watched it at her apartment before. It was something actually being here at the stadium Elliot played at getting behind the scenes access from the star quarterback.

Elliot's big event for his program was being held here today. It was essentially a mini football camp for the kids in the program. They were getting behind the scenes access to the stadium. They were going to be shown the locker rooms, press boxes, the field, the gift shop. The kids would get to be in heaven for a day. Elliot had decided to host the event at the stadium instead of the park so he could give the kids a chance to say that they've been on real Astroturf in a professional stadium. The press would be there. Most of his teammates and coaches would be there.

Victor was bringing the kids to the stadium on the team bus. Elliot and the rest of the team thought it might be a real treat to the kids to ride to the stadium in style. Elliot also realized that a lot of the parents wouldn't be able to drive their kids out to New Jersey only to drive back a few hours later. All of the kids had been provided permission slips for their parents to sign, allowing them to be picked up and dropped off safely.

Most of the time, the events were kid only zones, somewhat like an after school program. It was a place for the kids to hang out with their friends and play sports for a few hours before going home and telling their family all about it. For this, however, Elliot had opened the invitation for any parents that could join. He realized that like the kids, a lot of the parents would probably never get to step foot inside a real football stadium, much less see behind the scenes places. Plus, he wanted parents to see their children having a fun time playing football and meeting some of their heroes.

"Oooooh, they are even hotter up close and personal."

A group of players were standing outside, presumably waiting for the bus to arrive. Elliot and T.K. were among the mix.

Olivia laughed at Christina's words. That was how she felt when she first saw all the players standing in front of her. But right now she only had eyes for Elliot.

The two girls got out of the car, making sure to grab their bags first. Elliot had suggested bringing some towels and a change of clothes for when they were done. Locking the car, Olivia practically pranced over to Elliot.

"Hey, baby," he greeted with a smile. Dropping her bag to the ground, she allowed herself to be swept up in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and met his kiss halfway.

"I missed you," she cooed when they pulled apart. She normally hated PDA but with Elliot, she found herself craving his touch in whatever form it came in.

"I missed you, too," he grinned. They stared at one another for a moment before a disgusted voice ruined their paradise.

"Oy, mátame," Christina expressed. "You two should really get a room. It's been five seconds; already I wanna puke."

Chuckling, Olivia pulled back from Elliot but her right arm remained around his neck.

"Elliot, allow me to introduce my best friend Christina," Olivia introduced with a sarcastic grin.

Elliot smiled at the two women. He stretched his hand out to Christina. "It's great to finally meet you. Liv's told me a lot about you."

"Hmm, wish I could say the same." Olivia punched her friend in the arm so Christina quickly changed her tune. "But it's been nice seeing her so happy."

To Olivia's relief, Elliot didn't comment on that statement. He guided them over to his teammates and introduced them to everyone. She had already met a few of them through other events in the park but some of them were new faces. The real amusement was watching Christina meet all of them. She was like a kid in a candy store.

The kids showed up not long after that. Olivia couldn't help but smile at their enthusiasm and awe. She loved seeing their innocence, their amazement at things they had never seen in person before. She was glad they had the opportunity to experience all they were experiencing. Elliot was giving them a rare opportunity. She knew other players and teams held football camps but they were often just in the summer for a day or two. What Elliot offered was a year round club for kids who didn't have anything better to do but maybe sell drugs on the street. He offered them a refuge from the streets and from parents who didn't care or didn't have the time. He gave them a second family.

**E**

**O**

"All right, for this one, we're gonna run at it and throw our shoulders right here," T.K. pointed at the dummy's stomach region. "What are we gonna do?"

"Plow 'em down!" the kids yelled.

"Yeah!"

Elliot chuckled as he watched T.K.'s group of kids. They had divided them into several small groups. This way they would get to work more closely with a variety of players at a variety of activities. There were only about twenty-five to thirty kids in his program. The number was always fluctuating. Today, twenty-three had been able to make it and they were loving every minute of it. The youngest was seven while the oldest was sixteen. When he started the program he realized he had needed to set a minimum age limit. Liability was a big reason but also because he wanted to make sure it was something the kids wanted to do and not just something their parents were signing them up for. The older ones really enjoyed the program, though. Elliot was all for encouraging them to go into sports in the future. For some, it would prove promising. For others, it would just be a pleasant childhood memory.

The kids had already gotten autographs from the players and seen the locker room and press boxes. They had gotten to be announcers and say what they wanted over the speakers. They were having a blast and Elliot was glad that he could put a smile on their faces.

His last group had gotten to go to lunch early. He was teaching them to throw footballs down field as far as they could and have someone successfully catch it. They had all done really well. They managed to throw the ball a good way down field after some coaching. The sixteen-year-old, Robert Griffin, had real potential. He'd been lobbing the football down the field like he was trying to win the super bowl. Elliot had had to make a mental note to talk to the boy later.

"You look like you're thinking too hard," Olivia's sweet voice filtered through his ears.

He turned to see her smiling at him. Her skin was shining in the sun light from the sweat she had worked up. She had been partnered Ryan Purvis, one of the tight ends, in doing some of the conditioning players went through. He had stopped and watched her a few times. She had been running her heart out with the kids. The biggest smile had remained on her face the entire time, too. He was glad she made such an effort to be at these events. He knew she loved kids and it always seemed like she radiated after a day of hanging out with them.

She stepped closer and wrapped her arm around his waist. His arm snaked around her shoulders and tucked her close to his body.

"Not thinking too hard," he corrected. "Just surveying happiness."

"They're all having a great time," she murmured. She glanced around until she found Christina. She was aiding Victor, who at the moment was teaching kids how to find their touchdown dances. Christina and Victor were teaching the kids how to salsa at the moment. "Christina is definitely having a great time."

He followed her eyes and chuckled at the sight. "Maybe we should play match maker and set them up."

"I think Christina's working double time on that already," she chuckled. "She has a thing for athletes."

"That's okay. These guys have a thing for attractive women."

"What about you?" she glared at him.

He smiled smoothly and kissed her forehead. "I've already got my attractive woman."

"Nice save."

Several children ran across the field in front of them, eager to get their lunch. Box lunches had been donated from a local school eager to give back to the community. While the kids ate, the players and helpers removed all the equipment off the field so they could set up for a quick make-shift game. They were going to run through some basic plays, set up plays to get the kids to move the ball down field. He was hoping it would excite the kids – to go through real plays with real football players.

The press had been interviewing players and kids all day. As long they didn't turn everything into a sob story, Elliot was fine with that. He wasn't trying to be a hero. He was just trying to give kids opportunities and chances he had never gotten as a child. The kids had been loving the attention, though, and he couldn't help but smile at that. They had never seen the news or read a paper but now they were going to be in it. He was happy that he had the chance to make these kids feel like superstars, even if it was only for a day.

"So is this the part where I get to see you be a football player?" Olivia asked him while they were waiting for the kids to finish their lunch. He nodded and grinned at her.

"I'll even throw a pass to you if you want," he offered. He winked at her. "We'll see if you can catch it."

She laughed. "Oh, aren't you cocky?"

"Well, I don't want to brag or anything but…" he sniffed before flexing his arm, "not a lot of people can catch my balls."

"And how many people attempt to catch your balls?" she wondered, trying to stifle her giggles.

His brow creased in confusion until he caught her meaning. He tugged playfully at her ponytail before pulling her into a loose headlock.

"You have a very dirty mind," he informed her, giving her a noogie until she wiggled out of his arms.

"You started it," she laughed, leaning her face up to his for a kiss. He tried to keep it brief. He really did. But when he felt her chest settle against his, he couldn't let her go that easy. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and deepened the kiss. Her arms curled under his, hugging his shoulders to her body. He kept telling himself not to go too far but his brain had stopped thinking the moment her lips pressed to his.

"Dude!" T.K. startled them. Their lips parted with audible sound but their limbs remained where they were. T.K. motioned to the kids behind him. "You're scarring the minors."

Elliot looked towards them but none of them were paying him and Olivia any attention.

"They're not even looking."

"Oh, did I say the minors?" He gave a fake chuckle. "I meant me."

"Yeah?" Olivia piped up. "Just wait till you have a girlfriend. You'll be all over her all the time."

"The ladies are all over me – _all the time_- as it is," he boasted with his trade mark flashy grin. Olivia just shook her head but she was smiling at him. T.K. was something else but deep down he really was a good guy.

He shifted his arms around Olivia's shoulders, dropping one to point to the media. "Just go tell them we're almost done for the day."

**E**

**O**

"Did you guys have fun today?" Elliot yelled in the huddle.

"Yeah!"

"I don't think I heard them," Elliot teased. "Did you hear 'em, Giants?"

"Nope," they all shook their heads.

"Sounded like wind to me," Victor added.

"Let's try this again. Did you guys have fun today?"

"YEAH!"

"That's more like it!" He put a hand in the center, several little ones and big ones following suit. "On three, lemme hear fight to live. One, two, three…"

"Fight to live!"

A round of applause encased them as they split apart. Elliot looked up to see parents and friends and media clapping, large smiles on all of their faces. He grinned, shy all of a sudden. The media stepped forward to ask the kids some final questions. He nodded over to Olivia, motioning for her to come closer.

"You still want to catch that ball?" he offered with a confident grin. He saw her bite the side of her tongue but she nodded. "I'm gonna throw some warm up passes to T.K. and Victor first. The paper wants an action shot of them. Then you're up."

"Girl, what are you doing?" Christina sided up to Olivia quickly, questioning her friend in a harsh whisper. Olivia nudged her away.

"I'll be ready."

"Are you crazy? He'll break your arm with that ball."

"Would you calm down?"

"You are so stubborn. No sé por qué me importa a veces."

Elliot chuckled at their sideline argument. He would never understand women and their line of thinking. But he knew she wouldn't be able to back down from a challenge. Not that he would have backed down either. He hated to see what would happen when they played a card game or a board game together.

After lobbing a ball downfield for both T.K. and Victor, Olivia stepped onto the field at the fifty yard line.

"So I just do what they did?" she wondered, squinting up at him in the sun.

"Yep, just like that." He knelt down into position, her following. He bit back his grin. He could see a reporter moving downfield so he could take some pictures of the unscheduled play. Undoubtedly he had never seen this before. "Are you ready?"

"Bring it on."

At his call, he backed up a few steps while she bolted down the field. He knew she was a jogger but man, she could run fast. She was bookin' it down field. After taking a moment to enjoy watching her run down the field, he calculated where she was going to end up and where the ball was going to end up before he threw it down field. She turned her head around at the fifteen yard line. He saw her legs go into double time after realizing the ball was going to overshoot her. He had to give her credit; she _really_ wanted to catch this ball.

Turning her body half way around at the five yard line, he saw the ball come hurdling down into the safety of her arms. He let out a disbelieving chuckle. She caught it. She actually caught it. Just as he started clapping, her saw her feet trip over one another. Her body toppled over the goal line before coming to a stop on her back. She didn't get up right away and before he knew it the distance between them had been halved.

"Liv! Liv!" He dropped to his knees beside her. Her eyes were shut as she lay unmoving on the ground. "Oh my god, Liv, are you okay?"

He heard feet come to a halt next to him but didn't bother looking up to see who it was. Olivia groaned beneath him, the ball loosening from her grip a little. She slowly opened one eye before uttering, "…Did I get the touchdown?"

He heard laughter behind him. He couldn't stop his own laughter from escaping his lips. He caressed a spot on her hip. "Yeah, you got the touchdown."

"Good." She fluttered her other eye open before handing him the ball. "And I better get to keep that."

"Don't worry, it's yours." He helped her sit up. "I'll even sign it for you."


	12. We Are Family

**June 19, 2011**

She had never really been a morning person. She had always had to wake up early, though. First as a young girl getting ready for school or chores. Then as a young woman going to her early morning college classes. After that, she'd had to get up early due to the cries of her infant daughter wanting to be fed. And once her daughter was old enough, she'd had to get up early to go to work and teach young minds. It was ingrained in her now. She didn't do it purposefully but she couldn't force her body not to. Even when she was hung over, she still found her body waking up early with no sign of falling back to sleep. It had been fifty-three years of waking up near the crack of dawn. One didn't just turn that off with the flip of a switch.

Serena opened her front door to get the paper on the ground. Reading the morning paper was a relaxing activity. Sitting there drinking coffee and eating breakfast while reading about the events of the city was practically her pastime. It was also a quiet activity, which matched her morning personality. The fewer words she had to speak, the better.

Setting the paper down on the table, she ambled around the kitchen getting her breakfast ready. Nothing too fancy, an English muffin was her usual choice. Prepping the coffee machine, she hit the button and waited for it to brew.

She sat down at the table and glanced over the paper while she waited. She didn't actively read it until her breakfast was ready but she enjoyed scanning to see what was most interesting.

There was a large picture above the fold with the headline '**Quarterback's program makes kids shine**.' She had never understood sports. She tried watching when she was in the bar but it always seemed so boring and pointless. She was glad her daughter somewhat shared her opinion of sports.

Hearing the toaster signal the English muffin was ready, she pushed the paper aside and went about preparing her breakfast. The coffee had begun to percolate. Getting the strawberry jam out of the refrigerator, she set it on the table before slipping her breakfast onto a plate. After pouring herself a nice cup of coffee she settled in at the table.

Unfolding the paper so she could see the entire page, she scanned the news. Gardening tips were being offered on a separate page. A scam was being ousted by the banks to warn users of fraud. Somebody was unhappy with the president again but that was nothing new. Deciding she may as well read the main article, she found her eyes scanning the picture again. The children looked so happy. The sight made her smile. She often wondered if her life hadn't turned out the way it did if she would have gotten married and had more children. She wouldn't trade Olivia for anything in the world, though. She hadn't been the best mother. She still wasn't the best mother. But she did love her daughter with all her heart. They were constantly working towards a better relationship but sometimes it seemed like every time they took one step forward they took four steps back.

_Speak of the devil herself, this woman looks an awful lot like Olivia_, Serena thought. She was on the back of a man piggyback style. They both had on the large smiles that everyone else did. She didn't recognize the man but the woman kept looking more and more like Olivia. Reading the caption at the bottom, she learned that the group had just finished a day at a mini football camp. Why would Olivia be involved in something like that?

Maybe she would pay her daughter a visit today to get to the bottom of this.

**E**

**O**

Opening the door to her daughter's building, Serena couldn't help but wish she had chosen somewhere else to live. Years ago Olivia had turned down her mother's offer to help her with rent in a better part of the city. Serena was always telling her how much she hated where her daughter lived but Olivia would hear none of it. She was as stubborn as they came.

Olivia lived on the third floor of a building that had seen better days but she always told her mother that she loved it. She knew her daughter enjoyed her freedom but she wished she lived closer. Not that she was incredibly far. One of her coworker's daughters had just moved to Vancouver for a job. Serena didn't know what she would do if her daughter even moved to another city let alone another country.

The one bright thing about this building was the elevator. It at least worked decently without the threat of feeling like you were about to die any second.

Walking down the hallway on her floor, she heard sounds of laughter. As she grew closer to her daughter's door, she realized it was coming from the apartment in front of her. Perplexed, she slowly raised her hand to knock. She heard shuffling on the other side of the door before it opened to reveal her smiling daughter.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" she asked, clearly confused. She stood there in her weekend attire – a tank top and a pair of shorts – and she had flour in her hair. Not a lot but it was definitely flour. "Did I forget a lunch date?"

"No, dear," she chuckled. "I can't surprise my daughter?"

She shook her head. "No, no, I just…wasn't expecting you, that's all."

There was something in her daughter's expression that she couldn't place. She didn't move from the door's entrance. Mother and daughter stared at one another until finally Serena couldn't handle it anymore.

"Well, are you going to let me in or not?" she chuckled. Recognizing her error, Olivia stepped back and let her mother into her apartment. She ran a hand through her hair where the flour was but it remained where it was. Serena was stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a man standing in the kitchen.

Now she understood her daughter's peculiar expression.

"Who is this?" Serena asked as calmly as she could.

The strange man came over to stand next to her daughter, wrapping his arm around Olivia's waist. He had flour on his shirt. More than her daughter. She had clearly interrupted something but was sure she didn't want to know what.

Olivia cleared her throat before managing a small smile.

"Mom, this is Elliot Stabler." Elliot reached his hand out for her to shake. "El, this is my mom, Serena Benson."

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Benson," Elliot said brightly.

She slowly reached for the outstretched hand. He had a firm grip which she approved of. She could not stand people with weak, floppy handshakes. She supposed he was good looking. He had a nice smile, at least. He was in a pair of gym shorts and a short sleeve shirt with the logo of the New York Giants. Not exactly the classiest but she would give him a break since it was Sunday.

"You're the man in the photo," she blurted out, recognition sparking in her mind. The pair in front of her looked confused.

"What?" they said together.

Pulling the paper out of her purse, she showed them the picture on the front page.

"I thought the woman on the left looked very similar to you so I thought I'd stop by and ask you about it," she explained. "Seeing him, I realize now that I was right."

They both looked down at the picture she had practically memorized. Her daughter was on the back of this man in front of her, wide smiles on both of their faces. They looked happy in the picture. Just as happy as they looked now.

Her gaze falling to floor, she noticed something wrong.

"Olivia, what happened to your foot?"

They all looked down at her left foot. It was bandaged up but she was putting some weight on it.

"Oh, my legs gave out on me yesterday after I scored a touchdown," Olivia explained. "I tripped and twisted my ankle. It's all right, though. It doesn't really hurt today."

"A touchdown?" she raised a brow. Her daughter had never really been the sport type.

Olivia chuckled. "Elliot is the, uh, quarterback for the New York Giants." Serena's brows shot to the sky. "I kinda dared him to throw me a pass to see if I could catch it so my ankle is my fault really."

"She was amazing, though," he sang his praises. His smile was wide and bright. She had to give her daughter credit. The man was decently attractive. "I gotta say, I didn't actually think she was gonna be able to catch it but she did. I think she should be the new quarterback."

"Shut up," Olivia grinned, poking him in the ribs. The pair stared at one another for a moment with what Serena often described as dopey puppy love faces. She saw it frequently in her classrooms, around campus. She never thought she'd see it on her daughter though.

"Am I to assume the two of you are..dating then?"

Olivia looked at her mother. Serena had never met any of the men she dated. Olivia would mention their name and Serena was always aware of when they broke up, but beyond that she wasn't involved in that part of her daughter's life.

Olivia could see the hurt in her mother's eyes. She knew it was killing her that she hadn't told her personally about what was happening in her life but it wasn't as if they were best friends. They had a tumultuous relationship – good one minute, bad the next. Olivia had always kept things inside, keeping her thoughts, fears, doubts, relationships, friendships, everything to herself. She knew, from her mother's mournful sighs and longing looks, that Serena wanted her daughter to be able to confide in her but Olivia knew that day was still far off in the future.

She pushed Elliot back towards the kitchen, silently telling him she wanted to talk to her mother alone. He went without hesitation. She motioned towards the living room, hobbling over to it behind her mother. The apartment wasn't that big so technically Elliot would still be able to hear everything they were saying. She had a feeling she was going to be telling him all about Serena later.

"Um yeah, we've been seeing each other for a little over a month now. We ran into each other in the park a while ago and hit it off."

"Why didn't you tell me about him?" She was trying not to sound disappointed but she knew it was a hopeless feat.

She shrugged. "It never came up and we haven't really talked since then." She was feeling more and more like the bad daughter.

She glanced back into the kitchen. Elliot looked like he was very involved in making the chocolate chip cookies but she could tell he had one ear on the conversation. He had shown up today with the ingredients for cookies, telling her he was going to take care of her since it was fifty percent his fault that she was slightly immobile. She had smiled at his cuteness and given him full access to her kitchen. He had just barely started when her mom knocked on the door and brought the mood level down about three pegs.

"You don't think your mother needs to know when something important is going on in your life?" Serena huffed.

"No, mom, that's not it," she said, her voice showing her exasperation. "I just…forgot."

"Forgot?" she chuckled. "How does one forget to tell their mother that they're dating someone?"

"I wasn't advertising it to everyone," she struggled not to yell. "Christina didn't even find out until two days ago. Frank found out through luck. I just… I wasn't telling anyone because I don't need people calling me asking me for tickets or autographs or a chance to meet him. You know how the city loves their sports, especially football and the Giants."

Serena eyed her daughter. She could see how taxing even this conversation was on her. Olivia had always been a quiet individual. She had been a happy child but she had never had many friends. She always seemed to keep to herself. Serena supposed it was so Olivia could hide her mother's alcohol abuse from others.

"You always were secretive," she finally mused aloud. Olivia glanced up at her mother. "Even as a child you would never tell me anything."

Olivia didn't know what to say. Her mother had a point. She had always been secretive. Not on purpose but most of the time she just figured her mother wouldn't care to hear what she had to say. Clearly that was not the case. She knew her mother often felt hurt by their lack of communication but she never felt comfortable enough to share with her mother the details of her life. She only told her things when asked and conversation between the two of them had always been stunted. They talked but not about important things. The weather, events around the city, Serena's job, Olivia's job or rather her mother's hatred of it. Olivia longed to have a real relationship with her mother, one where she told her all her secrets and her mother guided her in the right direction.

Olivia covered her mother's hand with her own. "I'm sorry, mom," she apologized. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was seeing someone. I just didn't think it was that important to tell you."

"Thank you," Serena spoke quietly. "I suppose I'm not as…shocked as I seem to be." She looked over the back of the couch toward Elliot. He was still busy making cookies, looking thoroughly involved in the process but she knew he wasn't. He put on a good act though. She turned back to her daughter, lowering her voice before asking, "Are you happy with him? Is he good to you?"

"Yes," she nodded without hesitation. A smile spread across her face. "He's pretty amazing."

"Well," she patted her daughter's hand, "I'm glad you're happy." She stood and looked at Elliot in the kitchen again. Olivia felt nerves shot throughout her body. She braced herself for what she dreaded was coming. "However, I think it's about time I was formally introduced to this man."

"Mom," Olivia warned.

"I promise I'll go easy on him."

She shook her head as she watched her mother encroach on Elliot. She knew Elliot could handle anything but he didn't know the wrath that was Serena Benson.

**E**

**O**

"So how long have you been a football player?" Serena started the conversation after they all sat down around the table. Olivia had tried not to make it too obvious when she sat down close to Elliot. All of a sudden she felt like she was a teenager and her mother was meeting her first boyfriend for the first time. She felt awkward even though she wasn't the one under scrutiny.

"For about… God, about sixteen years now. Professionally for twelve years."

"Did you always want to be a football player? Was that your first choice?"

"No, it wasn't actually. I thought about becoming a cop, an astronaut, a marine. I worked in my uncle's bar for a while and I thought about working there for the rest of my life, taking it over when he passed or retired but I wasn't that happy working there. So I turned to football and worked hard to be as good as I could be. That turned into a full scholarship and me getting drafted after I graduated."

"I assume you make a decent living do that," Serena mused.

"Mother!" Olivia scolded. She buried her face in her hands, not believing that her mother had said that out loud. She fought the urge to jump across the table and tackle her mother to prevent her from embarrassing her further. Not that she actually would but it was nice to dream.

"What?" Serena said innocently. "I need to know that he can take care of my daughter."

Assuaging her embarrassment, Elliot chuckled next to her. She felt his hand at the back of her neck rubbing soothingly.

"It's all right," he promised softly. Turning back to Serena he even had a smile on his face. This woman had guts, he had to admit that. She was probably trying to scare him off but he wanted to make sure she knew he was there to stay. "I can support your daughter with no trouble. I play it very safe with my money."

"Please just kill me now," Olivia muttered under her breath loud enough for Elliot to hear. The warmth of his hand on her neck helped her take a few deep breaths. She knew her mother meant well. She just had to keep repeating that in her head.

"These have been the best two months of my life, Ms. Benson," Elliot spoke softly. His hand slid up under her hair, his fingers kneading the flesh there. Her hands fell away from her face as she slowly turned her head to look at him. She could see the sincerity in his eyes. "And I promise you that I would never do anything to hurt your daughter in any way, shape, or form."

The oven buzzed, signaling the first batch of cookies was ready to come out of the oven. Elliot stood to retrieve them leaving his words to hang in the air. Olivia didn't know where to look – follow Elliot's moves or meet her mother's pensive stare. The floor seemed like the safest option.

"We were gonna go out to lunch," Elliot continued, his back to them. He set a potholder on the counter before sliding the pan of cookies on top of it. "Would you like to join us?"

Serena watched the pair in front of her eyes. It was obvious the pair had feelings for one another. Now she knew the depth of their feelings. Or at least the depth of his feelings towards her. But she had no doubt that her daughter felt the same. She had never seen Olivia this way. She looked like she was positively glowing with happiness. Serena couldn't remember the last time she saw her daughter happy. Maybe when she had announced that she had been accepted into the police academy or when she'd been placed within a squad or when she made detective. But even then, her mother's detest of her job had tampered any excitement at sharing the news. It suddenly made sense why her daughter never told her anything.

"No, I'm afraid I've already made plans for lunch," Serena informed them. Olivia looked at her mother questioningly.

"With who?"

"A friend from the university," she lied with a smile. She couldn't interfere with her daughter's happiness today. Even if she was being invited.

"Oh." She was pleased that her mother wouldn't be joining them but a small part of her wanted her mother to see a different side of her. The real side of her. She often felt like her mother still thought of her a young child but she was far from it. She'd had to grow up real quick when her mother's drinking habit had started in full force once Olivia hit middle school. She hadn't been able to grow up slowly like normal children did. She'd been shoved into it, hoping to grow up quickly so she could escape her mother's grasp. But she always came back. After all, she only had one mother and despite all of her shortcomings, she still loved her.

"Well then, how about we all have dinner sometime?" Olivia suggested. Elliot rejoined them at the table, placing a plate of hot cookies in front of them.

Serena smiled at the couple. "I think that sounds wonderful."


	13. Countdown

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay. I just came home from my internship and just before that I didn't have internet.

* * *

**July 9, 2011**

Sometimes it was nice to have a guy's day. Just a day to relax and enjoying pigging out while playing video games nonstop. They didn't have anyone to answer to. They didn't have anywhere else to be.

Elliot loved days like this.

"All right, what do we want to play?" Jaime questioned the guys. Jaime and TK were his closest friends. They'd always been there for him and he'd always been there for them. "We got NBA Street, World Cup, Madden, and Gran Turismo."

"Madden, baby," TK shouted out. "I gotta take your ass down again like last time."

"You didn't beat me," Jaime defended. "I sneezed and your guy ran past mine."

"Man, you lost," Elliot piped in. He was gathering the first round of beers from the refrigerator. "You were down by forty points before you threw the controller across the room. I'm still waiting for you to reimburse me by the way."

"You can afford to buy every controller they've ever made," Jaime fired back. He slipped the game into the Playstation 3 console. "I didn't think you needed a lousy $24.99 from me, your poor friend."

"Yeah, yeah, you're paying for the pizzas today."

"Done."

"Are you guys done with your lover's spat?" TK mocked. "It's time to play some football."

Elliot joined them on the couch, leaving the beer bottles on the coffee table in front of them. Grabbing the controller Jaime handed him, he settled back into the cushions. The game always started off as relaxing but it turned stressful as the game time started to wind down.

He watched as TK went through the start up screen before guiding them to the page where they picked their teams.

"So Jaime," he started, stealing glances over at his friend. "How'd your date go the other night?"

"Ehh, it was all right," he shrugged. He watched as they started playing, Giants against Eagles. "She was hot but I don't think I'm gonna see her again."

"Did you bang her?" TK asked, his trademark grin on his face.

"Dude, come on," Elliot warned.

"You know, ever since you got a girlfriend, all of a sudden I have to watch what I say," he said angrily. "I gotta say, I don't appreciate it."

"No, I didn't bang her but I wanted to," Jaime interrupted their little spat. "There wasn't a whole lot of chemistry. She was dumber than I remember."

"What? You have a thing against dumb chicks?" TK laughed.

"I at least wanna be able to hold a conversation about something other than her hair or the fact that diet Coke doesn't taste like it used to."

"She's right; diet Coke tastes different," Elliot teased. Jaime punched him in the arm.

"It's like you've ruined it for all of us," Jaime complained, staring pointedly at his friend of thirteen years. "Ever since you started dating Olivia it's like the women we date have to be just as amazing as her."

"I'm sorry I made you raise your standards from idiots to smart girls," Elliot told him dryly.

"Not just smart girls. Smart girls with looks," he corrected.

"Again, I'm sorry," he said dryly. "You know, it's not as hard as you think. You just look in the wrong places. I'm necessarily saying that you can't find the one in a bar or a club but your odds aren't great."

"He's annoying now that he's happy," TK interrupted. "You can meet some fine hotties up in the club."

"Yeah but do you want to spend the rest of your life with one of them?"

"Well no, not really. They're more of one night only entertainment."

"Exactly. It was fun when we were younger but now it's time to start thinking about the rest of our lives. Jaime, I know you want a woman like Heather back in college so you gotta go out and find someone like her. You just gotta look in the right places," Elliot preached.

"Hey, does Olivia have any hot friends?" he said after a minute. "Maybe she can hook me up with one of them."

"Yeah, me too," TK piped in.

Hitting some buttons on the controller, Elliot shook his head. His friends were hopeless. They would find love one day but not before they were done being boys.

**E**

**O**

"Oh, what are you doing?! I didn't even pass it to him!" Elliot yelled at his player.

They had switched to the soccer game World Cup about an hour ago. They traded off after each game. Loser would hand his controller over to the man left out. It was easier to play one on one than two on one.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Jaime chanted. He made some passes before trying to kick for the goal but his man overshot. He watched as the ball went sailing over the net and into the stands. "Oh come on!"

"Yes!" One of his men stole to ball and started the path down the long field. A knock sounded at the door. "Will you get that? Jaime's wallet's on the counter."

"Hey!" Jaime shouted in protest.

"Man, shut up. You already know you're paying for dinner."

"Dude, that's three pizzas!"

Elliot shrugged. "So you're paying some interest, too." He reached over and patted his friend on the shoulder. "Thanks, buddy."

"Yeah, shut up," he shrugged off his friend's hand. Laughter filled the apartment as Elliot and TK shared their amusement. TK grabbed the wallet off the counter and walked to the door, flipping through the bills on his way.

"Yo, how much?" he said to the delivery person, opening the door without looking up.

"All the money in the world," Olivia fired back. TK looked up to see her standing there smiling instead of a college kid delivering pizzas. She winked at him. "And you still couldn't afford me."

"Hey, sexy thing," he flirted. "Didn't expect to see you today."

"I decided to drop by," she confessed. "I was bored and I was hoping he would be too but I see now that you're having a guy's day."

He shut the door behind her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Of all the players on the team and out of all of Elliot's friends, she had seen and talked to TK the most. He always flirted with her, inflating her ego a little more every time. She had been meaning to ask Elliot if he minded when she flirted with his friend. He had never said anything before but she didn't quite have all of his moods and gestures and faces down yet.

"We're just playing video games," he assured. He placed a hand over his heart. "And I certainly don't mind that you decided to drop by to grace us with your fine presence."

She looked up at his 6'3 form. Sometimes she could not believe the cheesy lines that came out of his mouth.

"You're lucky you're pretty," she told him. "Do the girls actually fall for the lines you feed them?"

"Most of the time," he boasted. "But I usually only have to flash the smile – " He smiled brightly at her. " – and the ladies fall for TK."

"Well, you do have a nice smile," she admitted to him. He laughed and pulled her further into the apartment.

"Look who I found," he called out to the guys.

Elliot turned to see the visitor but Jaime kept his eyes glued to the screen. Football wasn't the only game he was bad at. He needed all the help he could get.

He was surprised to see Olivia standing there. The whole reason he had called the guys over for guy time was because Olivia had said she would be at work for the day.

"Hey baby," he greeted. He paused the game, much to Jaime's annoyance, and made his way over to his girlfriend. Pushing TK's hands off her and giving him the controller, he cupped her face in his hands to greet her with a kiss. "I thought you had to work today."

She started on Monday as a detective with the Special Victims Unit. Her last official day had been yesterday but her captain had asked her to come in today to finish some last minute things.

"Come join us," Elliot prompted. He started to guide her to the couch but her feet were glued to the floor.

"I don't want to intrude on guy time," she whispered. "I don't need them hating me for always being around when you hang out with them."

"You're not intruding," he promised. His body slid up against hers, letting his lips brush across hers delicately. "And if they have an issue with you being here then maybe they're the ones I want leaving."

"Elliot," she drew out slowly but he could tell he was weakening her resolve.

"Hey guys, you don't mind if Olivia hangs out with us, do you?"

Jaime just shrugged, his tongue poking out of his mouth while he concentrated on the TV screen. TK at least voiced his opinion out loud, muttering a 'yeah, whatever' before making one of his guys kick a goal.

"Yes!" TK shouted, pumping his fist at the goal.

"Aw, come on!" Jaime yelled.

Elliot turned back to his girlfriend.

"See, they don't care."

She just shook her head but followed him into the apartment. If they didn't care then she didn't care either.

**E**

**O**

"Throw it, throw it, throw it," Jaime chanted quickly to TK. His player was wide open but TK's player wasn't throwing him the ball.

"Every time I throw it to you, you do something stupid and cost us the touchdown," he argued. "And I am not losing to someone who is as hot as she is."

Olivia grinned on the other side of Elliot. She had watched them play for a while before Elliot offered to teach her the controls so she wouldn't have to sit there looking so bored. His words, not hers. She had protested, saying she didn't want to intrude on their guy time any more than she already was. But he wanted her to be a part of it so after a quick rundown of the controls, they had formed a team against Jaime and TK. After winning a few soccer games, Jaime and TK had demanded they switch to another game. They'd been playing football for a while now and Jaime and TK were still doing as bad.

"Man, shut up and throw it to my guy."

TK made a sound of frustration before pushing the button to toss the ball to Jaime's guy.

"Thank you," Olivia said sweetly as her player ran up and intercepted the ball. Elliot laughed beside her while the men to his right acted like they were going to throw their controllers through the windows.

"You know what, El?" Jaime said, standing up suddenly. "I gotta go. It's been nice but I gotta leave now."

"Aww, come on. You are such a bad loser."

Jaime would hear none of it though. He made a hasty exit after saying goodbye to his friends and getting the number of one of Olivia's friends she promised he would like. TK followed shortly after that; he had a standing date with the hottest clubs in the city.

Falling onto the couch, he threw his feet onto one end before letting his head fall into Olivia's lap. Her hand fell to his hair straight away, smiling while she ran her fingers through the small strands. His eyes closed shut at the feel.

"Finally alone with you," he sighed peacefully. He snuggled his body into the couch, his legs coming up to rest against the back cushions. One eye popped open to look at her. "Unless you're gonna leave me, too."

"No, not yet," she promised. "It's still early enough and I suppose I could spend some alone time with you."

He laughed dryly at her joking words. Her fingers traced the lines and contours of his face while they sat there in silence. He liked when they did this. When they just enjoyed each other's company without the need of unnecessary conversation. He could never do this with his other girlfriends. They would always talk nonstop and he was always obliged to talk back and contribute to the conversation. Everything was so much easier with Olivia. Sometimes she would get very quiet and introspective. He always found himself staring at her and running his hands through her hair when she did this. He always figured she was thinking about her job and while he wanted to ask her about it, he never pushed. He would wait a little longer into their relationship before he did that.

"Wanna watch a movie?" he asked suddenly. He wagged his eyebrows at her. "We can make out during it."

"You are such a guy," she laughed. She pushed his head off her lap before standing. She leaned over his body, invading his space before pressing her lips to his lightly. "But I could go for some Stabler lovin' right now."

**E**

**O**

His plans of making out didn't go far.

He popped the movie in and started it. She was flat on her back on the couch by the time the previews started. He was setting a nice pace, not too slow but not too fast. He was cradled between her legs, the warmth of her body seeping through his clothes. He had heard the movie start playing in the background and that's when she pushed him away.

He had put in a scary movie, one that guaranteed a woman would be curled up in his arms for the duration of it. He hadn't even seen all of it yet but he borrowed it from Jaime with the hopes of watching it with Olivia sometime soon. He didn't think soon would be now. And he certainly didn't know it would come with complications.

"I can't make out and have a slasher movie playing in the background," she'd apologized with a pained look. "It's too weird."

Eventually he agreed.

So they had cuddled up on the couch, his arms wrapped tightly around her while she buried her face in his neck every time the music changed and they knew something bad or scary was about to happen. He had offered to turn the lights back on but she had repeatedly said it wasn't necessary. That was all right by him. He didn't want to move any more than she wanted him to.

By the time the movie finished, it was closing in on one in the morning.

And she found herself reluctant to leave.

"Would you laugh if I told you I'm paranoid now?" Olivia questioned meekly. She bit the nail of her thumb as she looked up at him. He put the DVD back in its case before tossing it on his coffee table.

"A little," he admitted. He motioned between the DVD and TV. "Don't you deal with this stuff for a living?"

"I don't actually see the people being killed in front of me!" she defended. She chuckled a little, standing in front of him. "I'm there afterwards."

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, drawing her close. Her eyes found his. There were so many feelings, so many emotions she felt when she was with him. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this happy, this content with a man for such a long period of time. She didn't think she had ever felt this way. She looked forward to his phone calls, his texts, his voicemails, seeing him in person. She loved when he met her for a quick cup of coffee or a quick lunch. And when he called just to say hi and ask how her day was. She loved when he spoiled her and took her out for a lavish dinner even though she told him she didn't need the treatment. She loved when he made her dinner and they enjoyed it on his terrace overlooking the city at sunset.

She was fairly positive she loved him, that she had fallen in love with him, but she wasn't ready to say so out loud just yet. The words had never come easy for her. She had said them maybe twice to her mother. After her former fiancé had told her he loved her, she had reciprocated but since then she had never told a man she loved them. They never stayed around long enough for her to form an opinion either way.

But here with Elliot now, she knew that had been for a reason.

"Do you want to stay here for the night?" Elliot suggested in a low rumble. His lips played against hers, teasing her.

"I'm meeting Christina for breakfast in the morning," she mentioned. His invitation was enticing but she didn't want to seem too eager.

He pressed his lips a little harder. "That doesn't sound like a no," he whispered. "I can protect you from the monsters that lurk outside this apartment."

She met his eyes again. If she had a nickel for every time she melted inside from his words, she could retire.

"You already do," she murmured softly. Her hands ran down the length of his back until they rested on the slope of his ass.

He grinned madly at her. "Is that a yes?"

Smiling, she nodded.

"But no funny business, Mister," she teased, her face serious though her eyes were sparkling.

He held his hands up in surrender. "I'll be the perfect gentleman."

He guided her back to his bedroom, a room she had only been in once before. He left her side to get clothes for her to wear, settling on a pair of his boxers and an old college T-shirt. She retreated to the bathroom to change while he shed his close before throwing them on his dresser in a heap. He closed all the curtains, blocking the city lights from entering the room. He switched on a lamp at his bedside before nervously settling on his side of the bed.

Olivia breathed deeply in the bathroom. She couldn't believe she was about to get into bed with Elliot Stabler. It was nerve wracking, to say the least. And it was only to sleep! She didn't think she was ready for sex yet. It would be amazing, no doubt, but she wasn't ready to rush that step yet.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror and told herself to calm down. But seeing herself stare back in his clothes, it was hard to listen to her mind. She liked the look of his clothes on her. The shirt smelled like him, too. A few months ago, she would have smacked herself for acting like this.

When she finally came out of the bathroom, he was sitting on the bed fiddling with the alarm clock. He met her eyes across the room and she could see he was just as nervous as she was.

"I didn't know what time you needed to be up so I set it for seven," he rambled. "That way, you could go home and change with time to spare. Christina doesn't strike me as an early riser."

"No, she's not," she chuckled. She slowly made her way over to the bed. She paused a second before climbing in on her side. It felt natural but different. Like something she could most certainly get used to in no time at all.

Before she could lie down, his voice stopped her.

"I got something for you," he said almost timidly. Not exactly a tone she was used to hearing from him.

She looked over as he withdrew a black jewelry box. It was too large to be a pair of earrings or a ring but the breath still left her body.

"Elliot," she exhaled softly, somewhat in protest.

"I wanted to get you something for this new chapter in your life," he told her. He opened the box as he spoke. "One of my buddies told me about this guy that makes unique pieces and I thought this was perfect for you."

Before her laid a gold pendant on a thin gold chain.

"That's Sanskrit on the front," he explained as she looked at it. "It means fearlessness. I saw it and I knew it was made for you."

She sat there speechless. She didn't deserve this. That's what kept playing over and over in her head.

"Elliot, you didn't… I can't…" she stuttered.

He nodded his head. "You can," he stated firmly. "I wanted to get this for you as sort of a congratulations and good luck."

He took the necklace out of the box and held it up to her. He motioned at her and she automatically moved her hair so he could clasp the necklace in place. Her hand came up to touch the cold necklace as it fell into place.

The past two months had been surreal. She was always waiting for the other shoe to drop or for the dream to end. Everything had just seemed too good to be true. Her life had never gone this smoothly. She wasn't used to it and sometimes she thought she might have a panic attack from all of her happiness.

Her hair fell back into place when his hands moved away. Wordlessly they settled under the covers. He reached behind him to turn off the light before nestling into her. She lie there facing him, her arm flopped over his abdomen.

Finally she pressed several kisses to his lips before lingering. Her tongue swiped across his lips a few times but she pulled away before he could draw her deeper.

"Thank you," she rasped. He gave a faint nod before capturing her mouth with his.

E

O

She awoke to a cool, dark room. She was disoriented at first. The room looked nothing like her apartment and for a moment she forgot where she was.

There was a rumble beneath her ear. She smiled to herself. Elliot's soft snoring rumbled through his chest underneath her ear. Her arm was flung over his broad chest. She had tossed one of her legs over his and intertwined it with his sometime in the night. His arm was wrapped tightly around her frame and his head was turned towards her.

She had never woken up to such a beautiful sight.

Raising up, she glanced at the clock.

6:48 AM.

She hated when she woke up before her alarm went off. But in this instance she didn't mind so much. Not when she had the opportunity to wake Elliot in a pleasant manner.

Starting at his ribs, she pressed feather light kisses against his skin. He stirred at first but he had no signs of being awake. She continued her exploration. Her fingers traced lines across his chest, following the pattern his muscles made. He shifted again but still didn't wake up. Guiding her hand to his face, she traced the contours she found before letting her lips follow. She peppered kisses up his neck and across his chin before tentatively touching her lips to his. He made a sound of contentment but still didn't wake. She could feel his fingertips starting to move against her skin, though. A little more persuasion….

Pressing her lips harder against his, she slid her body over his until she was almost lying on top of him. She felt his arms wrap around her frame, pulling her deeper into the kiss. She smirked against his lips.

"Now that is a wake-up call I want to wake up to everyday," Elliot said pleasantly, a large smile on his face.

"Yeah?" Olivia smiled. Her voice was sultry, aided by the lack of vocal use for the past few hours. "You liked it?"

"Oh yeah. But you were just getting started, right?"

She chuckled. "Yes, I was. It's a lot better when my audience is awake."

She lifted her leg higher until she straddled him. She pressed her lips to his neck, her tongue licking the skin she caressed. She moved her way up his chin and nipped at his lips. His hands moved up the length of her back, dragging her T-shirt along the way. He pressed her into him, trying hard not to buck his hips as her body made contact with his. She kissed him deeper, her tongue meeting his stroke for stroke. Her hands roamed the expanse of his chest, moving up and down a few times before her fingers caught in the short strands of his hair. Her hips rocked against him a few times involuntarily. He caught her lower lip between his teeth, slowly teasing until he heard her moan. His fingers tangled in the fabric of her T-shirt. He dragged it up slowly, his fingers grazing her sides as they climbed higher and higher. She pulled back so he could remove the shirt from her body, tossing it aside somewhere on the floor.

She let a grin cross her face at the sight of him lying beneath her. She was so used to letting sex come so early in her relationships. One night stands, fleeting flings, fledgling relationships. She enjoyed sex, enjoyed the intimacy of being so close and connected to another human being but she had started to think that maybe she should slow her pace. She was certainly no stranger to sex on the first date but those relationships had ultimately fallen flat in no time at all. She wanted things to be different with Elliot. She knew he was probably frustrated that it had taken so long to get to this point; it had been almost three months since they started dating. But she didn't want to be just another girl he dated for a few months, slept with, and then dumped a few months later. He didn't come across as that type of man but the doubt was always in the back of her mind.

She was pleased when he said he would take their relationship as slow as she wanted. She didn't want to move glacially slow but she didn't want to move at light speed either. As childish as it sounded, she wanted to wait until the moment felt right.

She flattened her body against his in a rolling manner, her hips rubbing against his making him moan this time. She devoured his mouth with her own while his hands moved around to the clasp of her bra. The support from her chest suddenly disappeared as her bra was dragged away from her body. Chills ran across her skin as her body began to tremble with excitement. She couldn't believe this was finally going to happen.

She trailed kisses down the side of his face and neck before lavishing attention to his chest. His fingers tangled in her hair. She licked and sucked in all the right places causing his heart to beat faster. Her fingers hooked in the waistband of his briefs and started tugging. Elliot groaned.

But not because of Olivia.

The alarm chose that exact moment to start blaring.

Along with her phone.

Olivia groaned in frustration. So close. They were so close!

She crawled back up his body, pecking at his lips in apology.

"I'm sorry," she verbalized in mention of her phone. She kissed him a few more times before sliding off his body and searching around for her phone.

"Who the fuck is calling you this early?" he complained. His hand reached over and slapped the alarm to make it shut up.

Finding her phone in her pants pocket, she groaned when she saw who is was.

"Ugh, are you kidding me?" she mumbled to herself. Pressing the right buttons, she held the phone up to her ear. "Are you kidding me?" she repeated to the caller. "Why the hell are you calling me this early?"

Curling into Elliot, she listened as Christina talked on the other end. She could hear him breathing deeply through his nose, presumably trying to get himself to calm down. His palm anchored itself at the small of her back.

"Wait, wait, slow down," she hurriedly rushed out. "It's too early for me to understand Spanish."

Elliot's brow furrowed as he watched Olivia. Her expression was one of concern. He shifted onto his side to see her better. Her eyes met his but her focus was on Christina.

"When did it happen?" She paused as Christina talked. She glanced behind her at the clock. "Okay, I'll be there soon. Don't worry."

She cuddled up to Elliot for a quick minute after she hung up. She inhaled his scent deeply, not wanting to leave his side. He hugged her to him, very aware that her bare breasts were pressing into him.

"What happened?" he mumbled, his words affected by his lips pressed to her temple.

"Christina went for a run this morning. When she came back she took a shower and slipped climbing out of it," she explained. She leaned up on her elbow and found his eyes. "She said she thinks she broke or sprained her arm so I'm gonna take her to the emergency room to see what's wrong."

"I thought you said she doesn't wake up early."

"She doesn't. Usually I have to call her twenty times to remind her of something or get her to something on time."

She crawled out of bed, not shy at all about her semi nudeness. Elliot found himself staring at her, grinning at the sight of the body he had been dying to see for the last few months. He wasn't shy about looking, either. Her eyes caught his as she gathered all of her clothing on the floor.

"Getting a good look?" she teased with a knowing smirk. She tugged her jeans on before straddling him on the bed once again. She placed several open mouth kisses to his lips. She was acutely aware she was getting him worked up again but to be honest, that was kind of her goal.

"You are so evil," he growled into her mouth. She laughed jovially, strands of her hair trickling down to tickle his face. There was no ire in his voice, just pure arousal.

"I have to leave you wanting more."

"You always leave me wanting more."

Her fingers traced over his lips, taking in the fullness of them. He had such beautiful lips. She loved to touch them and look at them and kiss them.

Her voice grew soft as she spoke. "I'm sorry this morning didn't exactly turn out like we were hoping."

"It's all right," he tried to brush off.

"No, it's not," she called him out. "I can see it in your eyes."

He looked at her. She was dead on the money. Was he disappointed? Yes. Was it the end of the world? No but it sure felt like it.

He sat up, forcing her body to lean back to accommodate him. Her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders.

"It sucks, yes," he admitted, "but I can always take advantage of you some other time. Very, very soon."

She hummed pleasantly. "Hmmm, I believe I was taking advantage of you."

"Baby, you can take advantage of me anytime," he leered at her.

Laughing, she climbed off his lap and quickly put the rest of her clothes on. He walked her to the door. He was hesitant to let her leave but he knew she had to get to Christina.

"I'll call you later," she promised. After a long, lingering kiss she was out the door.

He pressed his back against the door, smiling. TK had laughed at him a month ago when he revealed the he and Olivia had yet to have sex but he had brushed it off.

"I don't mind," he had said. "She's the one, man. I would wait forever for her."

* * *

**A/N:** To clear up confusion, no they still haven't had sex yet. Let's all remind ourselves that they've only been dating a couple of months. I realize in this day and age, people are sleeping together after two dates but this is my story and that's not how I operate. It will happen soon and I already know exactly how that chapter is going to play out. I'm trying to make it worth the wait.


	14. Find My Way

**A/N:** Here it is! This chapter is short so you have been warned. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me this far in between patchy updates. Thank you to everyone who understands school is a major time consumer with all the studying (it sucks being a science major sometimes).

Also, to the guest reviewer who asked if all my chapters were named after songs, yes they are. I was actually wondering when someone who catch on to that! Now, bonus points to whoever can tell me the artists and where the new summary comes from?

* * *

**July 10, 2011**

She breathed deeply. Inhaling through her nose and exhaling through her mouth. She could do this. She had trained for this. This is what she wanted to do. She was bred for this.

But that didn't stop her palms from sweating, her heart from racing, her stomach from twisting up in knots, and her mouth from going as dry as the Sahara.

Olivia walked into the 16th precinct with her box of reference books, photos, pens, and folders she liked. The precinct was bustling with typical early morning activity. It was a Monday and while cases didn't wait for the weekend to be over, she knew detectives were tying loose ends from cases that had popped up on Friday.

Looking for the office the desk sergeant described to her, she made her way to the right.

There was a bald headed man inside the office, standing at his desk looking through some papers. Shifting the box in her arms, she rapped on the door with her knuckles. He looked up at the sound, almost as if he didn't expect anyone to knock that early in the morning. She slowly stepped into the room, her hand held out in greeting.

"Hi, I'm -"

"Detective Benson," he finished for her. He took her outstretched hand. "Welcome to the Special Victims Unit. I'm Donald Cragen, your new captain."

Smiling at her new captain, she shook his hand enthusiastically. Everything seemed more real with every minute that passed.

"Olivia Benson," she told him, "but I'm assuming you've already read my file up and down."

A tiny smirk came over his face. "Yes, I have. I like to get a read on the people coming to work for me. It lets me know if they're going to last longer than a week. SVU is a different world, Detective. It's not like homicide or narcotics. There is no clear cut right and wrong. SVU is gray; sometimes you'll agree with the call, sometimes you won't. It's not always easy to handle."

"I'm ready to handle it," she said firmly, determined. His eyes narrowed at her as if he was trying to size her up to see if she was the real deal or not. She wasn't there to be a pushover. She was there to prove herself and make a difference. She had been waiting for this chance since college and now that she was finally here, she wanted to get to work.

He sat down at his desk, motioning for her to do the same in a chair across from the desk. Setting her box on the floor she took the chair on the right.

"Now I asked Captain Barry why you wanted to be placed in this unit but I'd like to hear it in your words."

Olivia swallowed but her mouth had suddenly gone dry. It was one thing that Captain Barry knew; she was a woman and it was easy to tell her story to another woman she had come to regard as a friend. It was one thing to tell Elliot on their first date; she felt drawn to him and she knew intuitively that he wouldn't break her trust. She had told Christina one night in college but that woman was like the sister she never had and she guarded everything Olivia ever told her. But now, to have to tell this man that would be her captain, she didn't think she could get the words out without breaking down and sobbing uncontrollably.

She rubbed her palms nervously against her thighs. "Uh, my mother was raped when she was in college and… I'm the product of that rape. She, uh, she used alcohol to cope once I started to look like him. She still does, actually. I just, I don't want children feeling like I felt when I grew up."

Nodding, he glanced down at some papers on his desk – her file, she assumed. She knew what he was about to ask her. He wanted to know if she could still be objective after the childhood and personal experience she'd had. She knew she could. It would get to her at times, of that she was sure. But she was confident in her ability as a cop to put aside her personal feelings and make the right choice.

"Can you be objective on this job even with your past?" he asked after a second.

"Yes," she said without hesitation. "I know I can do this job. I'm not saying it'll be easy but I'm ready to do this job."

Nodding again, he leaned back in his chair. She was confident and he was confident. Right now, that was all the proof he needed. He was sure she could do the job. She had the drive his detectives needed to work in this squad.

"Then let me introduce you to your partner."

She followed him out into the bullpen. Detectives were still bustling about with activity. Officers were coming and going with reports of new crimes and updates. Most in the squad room where men but there were a few women. No surprise there. While the number of women in the NYPD was increasing every year, there still weren't enough to make a dent in a sea of men.

Cragen stopped in front of a tall dark headed man. He was at least a head taller than her. He had dark brown hair cut in a manner similar to Elliot's but his hair was thicker. She could see the hair gel shining in the light. He looked fit and trim but it was hard to tell since he was wearing a suit. He wasn't a bad looking guy but she hoped their personalities didn't clash.

"Detective Allen Murphy, this is your new partner, Olivia Benson," Cragen introduced them. Looking at Olivia, he said, "I'll let him show you around. Play nice."

He walked away while the new partners stared at one another. They were sizing each other up, testing one another, seeing if they could handle working together.

He motioned to a desk across from where he was standing. "That's your desk. Go ahead and unpack." He motioned to his right. "Coffee's over there and the crib is upstairs."

She snorted. "That's your idea of showing me around?" She set her box down on her new desk and started unpacking her things.

"Hey, what do you expect?" he shrugged with a smile. He motioned around them. "All these places are alike. You got your coffee, the cribs, showers, holding cells, interrogation rooms. I'll show you around later if you want. How 'bout we get to work now?"

She liked him. He was straight and to the point. She had no doubt they would clash soon enough but she liked him.

"Oh and call me Murphy," he asked of her. "I hate my first name. Makes me sound like a nerd."

Oh yeah, they would get along fine.

**E**

**O**

"So what brings you to SVU?" Murphy asked while they were waiting in traffic.

"What brings you to SVU?" she turned around on him. She wanted time to alter her story. She wasn't about to spill everything on their first day together.

He glanced over at her. His elbow was resting on the window, his hand covering his mouth. She noticed his index finger resting over the ridge of his nose. He was eyeing her pensively but she wasn't going to back down.

"My sister," he started. "She had an abusive boyfriend when she was in college. I was in high school at the time. She was home for a few days in August. One night, I came home from football practice to find him… on top of her about to rape her. She was screaming at him to get off of her but obviously he wasn't listening. One of my buddies was with me and we threw him off her. We then proceeded to beat the living crap out of him until the cops came a few minutes later. Turns out one of the neighbors had called them because of the commotion. She never really recovered after that. She's better but she still has trust issues, not that I blame her. I had wanted to be a cop before that happened but when I found out about this unit, I knew it was where I had to be to keep it from happening to other women."

Damn.

She was not expecting that.

He turned to look at her again. He spilled his heart now she could spill hers.

"What about you?"

So much for not telling him on their first day together. But after he shared something so personal, there was no way she could only give him the half truth.

"My mother was raped when she was in college and I'm the product of that rape," she said succinctly. As she aged, she found it was getting easier and easier to tell her story. "My mentor Karen told me about this unit and I've had my sights set on it ever since I became a cop. I don't want other kids and women to suffer the way my mom and I did."

He chose to let her last statement slide. The way she phrased it made it sound like her mother's pain hadn't ended once Olivia was born. But maybe that was a story for another day, another traffic jam.

"Sounds like college was a bad time for our families," he mused.

"Yeah, no kidding."

He glanced back over at her. She was staring out the window, undoubtedly wishing she could part the traffic with her mind. She was an enigma, this one. But then again he was, too. He didn't like to talk about his personal life and he was betting she didn't either.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't broadcast what I told you around the precinct," she murmured, still looking out the window and confirming his suspicions. "Only Cragen knows and I'd like to keep it that way."

"No problem," he assured, "but only if you promise me the same thing." She looked over at him and saw the sympathy in his eyes. "No one knows that's why I'm in this unit. We all have our reasons but we never really talk about them."

They looked at one another for a minute before looking back out at the busy street before them.


	15. With You

I think you'll all find this chapter length more to your liking.

One step closer...

* * *

**August 20, 2011**

"Benson," Cragen barked into the bullpen. Olivia looked up from her desk and the papers scattered across it. Cragen motioned towards the interrogation rooms. "You and your partner are up as soon as Munch and Jefferies get back with our suspect."

Olivia just nodded and resumed checking details on their case. A call had come in last week about a young girl being raped. She and Murphy were called to investigate the charge. Upon answering and arriving at the house, they discovered that the young girl mentioned was only two-years-old. Olivia about broke down in tears right there. After seeing the child in the hospital, she'd had to excuse herself to the bathroom to compose herself. She wasn't about to lose her cool while on assignment with her partner. She'd only been on the job for two months. The last thing she needed was for her partner to think she couldn't handle it.

The mother suspected that her brother had been the one to do it. He had been one of the only males to be alone with little Cassie in the last month. Olivia and Murphy had looked into it and everyone they had talked to said Shawn was a questionable man, that he wasn't normal. The man had evaded them for days before they finally got a tip this morning that he'd been seen in Greenwich Village. Munch and Jefferies had been volunteered to go pick him up. Olivia was now looking through the hospital records and statements to make sure this was the guy they were after and that they had enough evidence to put him away for a long, long time.

Her phone rang, interrupting her train of thought with the chain of evidence.

"Benson," she answered business-like.

"Oohh, I have missed the sound of your voice."

A smile immediately graced her face as she dropped her pen onto her desk. "Please tell me you're coming home soon."

"I'll be home tonight," Elliot informed her, his voice hinting at the smile his face was unable to show her.

"Oh, thank god." She leaned back into her chair, rubbing a hand over her face. "I have missed you so much and I need to see you so badly right now."

"What's wrong, baby?" Concerned entered his voice.

Murphy walked into the room and headed for the coffee machine.

"This case is just getting to me," she admitted in a soft voice. "I'm just ready for it to be over and put it behind me."

"You wanna talk about it?"

His voice was low and soft to match her mood. He always seemed to know exactly how she was feeling and what she needed to hear.

"No," she conceded. "I don't want it to be in your head, too."

"Baby," he breathed, "you can't keep everything bottled up. You've been there for two months and I know these cases are getting to you."

"It's just the nature of the job, El. They got to me at my old precinct, too."

"But I bet this is worse."

Olivia sighed. It felt like the same fight she had with her mother all the time. Except this time it was with her boyfriend and she wanted more than anything for this not to be an issue.

"Elliot, I am not going to fight about this," she warned, her tone indicating the mood she was approaching.

"I'm not fighting," he immediately said defensively. Checking his tone, he sighed. "I just… I don't want you to feel like you're going through this alone. It's a two way street. I tell you about my day but you stay silent about yours."

She smirked to herself. "Yeah, but my day isn't as simple as working out and throwing a ball down field while men in tight pants run around beside me."

He chuckled. "I knew you were jealous." She was such a strong and stubborn woman. It was one of the most endearing qualities about her but sometimes it made him grit his teeth. He just wanted to help her but it was like pulling teeth lately. She was determined to show she could do this job without any help. He knew she could; if anyone could it was her. But sometimes it was nice to have a shoulder to lean on. "Come over later."

"Hmmm, I don't know what time I'll be done tonight. We're not done with the case but we think we have the right guy."

"I don't care what time it is," he assured. His voice was sounding more and more persuading with every syllable. "I just wanna see you. It's been too long."

It had been three weeks since they'd seen each other. She had tried to make it out to training camp one weekend but a case had sprung up at the last minute. She had apologized endlessly, feeling horrible for not getting out to New Jersey to see him in his element. But he had assured her that it wasn't the end of the world, so long as she made it to at least one regular season home game.

This was the longest they'd been apart from one another. It was the longest she'd been away from any boyfriend she was crazy about. But he was only one of a very select few she had ever been crazy over. She felt so incredibly close to telling him she loved him but there was always self doubt holding her back. Her mother's bitter words rang in the back of her mind late at night when she was kept awake by her cases. But Elliot's love and friendship was firmly chipping away at the walls she had around her heart.

"Okay," she finally relented. "But I warn you it might be very late."

"That's okay. You can make it up to me by climbing in bed naked."

She could practically hear his leer through the phone. She could hear hoots and hollers from his teammates in the background. She grinned while her teeth caught the pen she was playing with. Murphy sat down at his desk across from her. She took that as a sign she should probably be wrapping her phone call up soon.

"In your dreams, quarterback," she crooned softly.

"Okay, fifty percent and I'll even let you choose which half is naked."

"I have to go now," she laughed out. "I have actual work I should be doing."

"That's a yes. You're using diversion."

It was times like this she had to bite back her words of love lest she scare him away. She loved that he could change her entire mood with one conversation and they didn't even have to be in the same state.

"I'll see you tonight," she murmured. She listened to his goodbyes before hanging up the receiver.

"That must be the boyfriend," Murphy voiced from his side. He glanced up at her, peering over at her in between reading his messages. "I think that's the most I've seen you smile and laugh since I met you."

"I guess you're just not funny enough," she teased him. He made a face at her which she gladly reciprocated. They had a love hate relationship. They teased each other but they weren't exactly friends yet. Aside from their first time in the car together, they hadn't shared too much personal information. They were slowly building a good partnership. They were great at interrogations together, decent at canvassing, but they still had a lot of work ahead of them. She couldn't deny he was great at his job, though. Murphy never hesitated to give her a piece of advice when she was lacking experience at something. But he always waited until they were alone, away from the scrutinizing eyes of other cops. She would forever be appreciative of him for that.

"So," Murphy brought her back to Earth, "what's the boyfriend's name?"

"His name is Elliot." She was being cautious. She knew a million more questions were about to follow. He didn't know anything about her personal life just like she didn't know anything about his personal life. It was one of those subjects that was alluded to but never actually talked about.

"How long you two been together?"

"Umm, it's been a little over four months now."

"Ahh." He plopped his papers onto his desk and settled his forearms across the edge. "That would explain the missing 'I love you.'"

She matched his posture. "Maybe we're more of a casual thing." Her brows lifted in challenge.

He examined her for a minute, letting his eyes wash over her. While he could see her being a casual woman on occasion, she seemed more like the forever type of woman he was constantly on the lookout for.

"No, no way," he grinned. "Not you, Benson. More like you don't want to say it first because you don't want to scare him off."

"How do you know I love him?"

He leaned back in his chair, smiling like he'd just uncovered some major secret kept hidden by the CIA.

"Because you just told me," he answered smugly. "If you didn't, you wouldn't have said anything about 'love.' You woulda made some smartass remark."

She could only gape at him for a moment. She hated when he did shit like this.

"Murphy…" she grasped for words. Finally she threw her pen on her desk. "I hate you sometimes."

He grinned, knowing he had successfully gotten her flustered.

"You love me, Benson."

She rolled her eyes at him and resumed her work, ignoring him as best she could.

E

O

Olivia quietly slipped the key into the lock, hoping she wouldn't wake him up inside. It was close to two o'clock in the morning. They had finally nabbed a confession from their suspect around midnight. She and Murphy had been the ones to drag it out of him but Olivia wished she hadn't been in the room at all. The mental images alone were enough to make her want a brain transplant.

The knob turned under her hand and she slipped the key into her pocket. The apartment was dark but she knew her way around. She locked the door behind her and slowly made her way down the short hallway to his room.

Elliot lie on his back, his mouth slightly ajar, one arm draped across his chest while the other was flung across the lonely pillows next to him. She smiled at the sight of him. She hadn't realized just how long their three weeks apart had been until this moment. He looked so handsome. She loved when he lay like that. She would curl up into his side and sleep like a baby.

While they had yet to cement their relationship with sex, they had shared each other's beds on various occasions ever since they watched that scary movie together. In her opinion it had brought them closer without the potential complications of sex. But if she was honest with herself, she was dying to take that next step sooner rather than later.

She quietly made quick work of her clothes, letting them fall to the floor with a whisper. She should pick them up and at least fold them a little so they wouldn't get wrinkled but she didn't care at this point. She'd already been in those clothes for almost twenty-four hours. They reeked of alcohol, cigarette smoke, car fumes, coffee, sweat, and god only knew what else. She tiptoed her way across the floor to his dresser. He had some clothes that he didn't wear as much anymore so he had set them aside in one of his drawers for her to wear whenever she slept over. A few other clothing items of his she favored had mysteriously appeared in his drawer but he never mentioned it. Just like he never mentioned some of those items disappearing from his drawers and ending up in her apartment.

Grabbing her favorite pair of shorts and an old college T-shirt of his, she hurriedly slipped them on. She crawled into bed next to him. His breath hitched the moment her knee touched the mattress.

"Shh, it's just me, baby" she soothed before he started swinging.

"What time is it?" he asked groggily, his voice thick with sleep. He looked blindly around the room in confusion before settling his eyes on her.

She draped the sheet across her body and lifted a blanket from the floor next to her side of the bed. He kept the apartment at a crisp temperature to counter the heat outside. She had no problem with that; her own apartment was the same. However, his body radiated heat no matter the time of year while she froze her ass off. To solve her dilemma, he had presented her with a Giants blanket when she came over for dinner one night. Now it stayed folded on her side of the bed, waiting for her when she stayed over.

"A little after two," she replied softly, her voice a tiny bit above a whisper. She shifted around until she was settled in the groove the lines of his body made. Her head rested on his shoulder and her arm draped across his chest. "Go back to sleep."

"How was work?" he wondered, ignoring her request. His arm squeezed her body to his. "Did you solve the case?"

"Yes," she answered succinctly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. His unique scent of deodorant, sweat, and body wash wafted through her nostrils. She felt her mind slowing down, calming down from the activity of the past few days. She nuzzled her nose against him. "I don't want to talk about it now."

He must have realized how tired she was or how tired he was because he kept his mouth shut.

"How was the game?" she wondered, her eyes fluttering closed.

"We lost," was all he said. "I think you're my good luck charm."

She snorted. Her legs tangled with his, the hair on his tickling hers and making them itch for a moment. "I doubt it."

He shifted a little. He angled his body towards hers so they were closer.

In the dark of the night, they curled up to one another like they had been doing it for years.

E

O

A persistent buzzing woke Olivia from a deep sleep. She waved her hand around her head, swatting away the annoying sound but it continued. Groggily she raised her head and looked around the room.

She wasn't in her bedroom.

This wasn't her apartment.

What the hell did she do last night when she left work?

She blinked a few times and tried to replay the night before. It had been late when she left work, around one something. She remembered staring at the bar across the street from her apartment, wanting so desperately to drown herself in liquor. But her mother's face had entered her brain, making her stop in her footsteps.

The buzzing was still persistent somewhere to her right. A deep groan of anger rumbled beneath her hands before a hand shot out to the side, effectively making the buzzing stop.

Elliot.

She had gone to Elliot's apartment after turning away from the bar.

She lowered her head back onto his shoulder. "Why the hell is your alarm going off at 7:00 on a Sunday?"

A deep chuckled rumbled through his body.

"I must have forgotten to turn it off before I left for training camp," he told her. His hand ran up the length of her back, alternating pressure depending on the location. If possible in her relaxed, content state, she felt her cares drift away. She wanted only to stay in this moment forever.

He shifted onto his side, jostling her comfortable position. She felt his lips against her forehead, pressing firm but gentle kisses to her face.

"I don't believe I got a proper 'hello' from you when you showed up in my room in the middle of the night."

He didn't wait for her to answer. His lips pressed firmly against hers; her mouth immediately opened to accept him.

"I missed you so much," he whispered after parting from their steamy kiss.

"I missed you, too." She pressed kisses down his neck. "You should smuggle me in your suitcase when you go on the road."

"Hey, don't tempt me; I'll do it in a heartbeat."

A comfortable, sleepy silence fell over both of them. She lie with her lips pressed against his clavicle. She could feel his lips pressing against her forehead, his deep puffs of breath flowing rhythmically across her scalp.

She was beyond glad that she came to his apartment this morning instead of going back to her place. She had no doubt that she wouldn't have slept a wink. And if she had managed to sleep, it would have undoubtedly been plagued by nightmares. When she closed her eyes, all she could see was that helpless toddler being victim to a crime that never should have been committed. Elliot's arms helped make that disappear for a little while.

"Wanna talk about it yet?" he asked, somehow reading her mind.

She shook her head. She wasn't ready to talk about it yet.

"Okay," he said, accepting her answer. He waited a few beats before asking, "Wanna go with me to a photo shoot?"

She leaned her head back to look at him, her brows peaked in interest.

"They're doing the team and players pictures today and then TK is having the photographer do some shots for his clothing line. I told him I'd help him out with that."

"Wait, TK has a clothing line?" she said incredulously.

He laughed. "Yeah, he's been keeping it surprisingly quiet. Only a few of the guys know about it. Normally he'd have told the whole city by now but I guess he wants it to be a surprise," he explained. "Come with me."

"I wouldn't miss seeing you in uniform for anything."

E

O

Elliot smiled patiently while the photographer took a picture of the team for the millionth time. He just kept his eyes somewhat forward but not directly at the camera. He'd learned his lesson after his first year with the team. He had been blind for the rest of the day after staring at flashbulbs for an hour.

He tried to seek out of Olivia while only moving his eyes around the room. The team's publicist, Sandra, had given her a chair to sit in a little to the left of the camera but everyone had been moving around and now he couldn't tell his left from his right.

"All right, that was the last one," Sandra announced loudly with a clap of her hands. "Good job everyone!"

A chorus of cheers rang out among the men as the dispersed from the risers.

"Yo, Liv!" TK's voice rang out over everyone. "Get over here and take a picture with your man!"

He heard Olivia sputter in the water she had been sipping for the last couple of hours. The players shuffled out quickly, eager to get home to their families and wives and girlfriends they hadn't seen in the last three weeks. A few wives had come with their husbands and he had seen Olivia making small talk with them for a little while. Now, though, they followed their husbands out of the large room and onto a day of leisure.

"Come on, Liv, hurry up. We ain't got all day," TK continued to persuade. Elliot must have missed what Olivia said.

He set his helmet on the ground next to him and took a few steps closer to where his girlfriend sat. He held his hand out to her, clearly indicating his opinion on what she should do.

"Come on, Liv," he encouraged. "What better time to get our picture taken than with a professional photographer?"

"But I'm not dressed for it," she argued weakly. She held her hands out and motioned to her outfit.

They had stopped at her apartment so she could change clothes before they came over to the studio. She was worrying about nothing, though. She looked wonderful as always. What she called not dressed for it actually looked like something out of a fashion catalog. She had pulled her hair back in a loose but fashioned pony tail, bringing out the highlights in her hair. She had thrown on a simple white top with a fitted black jacket over it. She had slipped on what he knew were her favorite pair of jeans and a pair of elegant looking black heels that he had no idea how she could walk in. The last piece of her ensemble was the gold dangle earrings that he recognized from a shopping trip she took with Christina before he left. She looked gorgeous, like a model.

He heard TK express the same thoughts but out loud.

"Elliot," Olivia whined but with a smile on her face. He could tell her defenses were wearing thin.

He motioned again for her to join him. "Come on, baby," was his response. "Just a few. It'll help take your mind off things."

With a bit of a reluctant grin, she pushed out of her chair and silently strode over to him. She placed her hand in his and pecked his lips.

"You know I wouldn't do this for anyone but you, right?"

He just grinned and led her over to where he'd been standing earlier. The photographer came over and pondered over how to have them stand. He finally settled on Olivia holding Elliot's helmet by the facemask over her shoulder with her right hand. He told her to drape her left arm against his right shoulder and face her body towards Elliot's. He told Elliot wrap his right arm around her waist. He brought in a football for Elliot to hold in his left hand. With that, they were ready to take some photos.

The photographer told them to act natural, taking one picture with them facing the camera before telling them to just do what came natural. Until he saw the pictures later, Elliot didn't remember exactly what they had done, only that they had had a fun time before the photographer said it was a wrap.

Elliot wrapped his arms around her and stared into her deep brown eyes. Her arms snaked around his shoulders as best they could with his pads still on.

"Thank you for doing that with me," he murmured. He pressed chaste kisses to her lips.

"You're welcome." She returned his kisses, always happy to be close to him. "But you better hope I don't look like a hot mess. If I'd have known I was going to be taking pictures today, I would have dressed better."

"Baby," he chuckled loudly, his hands skimming down her sides until they rested on her hips, "you look gorgeous. Just like always."

"He's right, girl," TK's voice popped into the conversation. They glanced over to see the man had changed into what Elliot could only assume was one of his creations for his clothing line. The other man didn't bother giving the couple time to speak. "Elliot and a couple of the guys are helping me out with this photo shoot but I want you to be in it, too."

Elliot looked back at Olivia to see her staring at TK like he'd lost his head.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Yeah," he continued. "There aren't a lot of pieces of women's clothing but I think you have the bangin'-est body that would look sexy in my clothes!"

"TK, seriously, don't make me punch you," Elliot threatened his friend. While the man's words weren't lies, he didn't want him talking to Olivia like she was a piece of meat. "If you want her to do it, ask her nicely."

TK looked blankly at his friend for a moment before turning to Olivia.

"Olivia, would you please do me the honor of modeling some outfits for my clothing line?" he deadpanned. His eyes panned over to Elliot, who subtly nodded.

Olivia gapped for words, her mouth open like a fish searching for food. Her eyes moved back and forth between the two men. They finally landed on Elliot who just shrugged.

"It's up to you."

She looked at TK again, seeming to find the right words. Personally, Elliot wished she would do it. It would help take her mind off work and the case that had been plaguing her for the last couple of weeks. She had been thinking of it most of the morning, on the way to her place, on the way to the studio, during the team's shoot. But he knew she had stopped thinking about it and started enjoying the moment when she was taking pictures with him. He had seen the ease on her face, the stress disappearing as she thought of nothing but the corny jokes he told her.

He just wished she'd talk to him about work. He understood for the sake of confidentiality she couldn't talk specifics. But she could at least tell him about the general things that she couldn't stop thinking about at night while she tried to sleep. He'd wear her down eventually. He didn't want these things to plague her for as long as did this job. And he knew how much this job meant to her. It would kill her before she admitted anything was wrong.

Finally Olivia's voice piped up from next to him.

"Sure," she sighed resignedly, "what the hell?"

E

O

"There you go," the photographer said, pleased with his model as she moved in the exact right way he wanted. "You're a natural at this."

Olivia laughed in her head. No part of this felt natural. She had never really liked taking pictures much. Her mother hadn't really taken any so it wasn't until college when she met Christina that she started to enjoy taking pictures of the best moments of her life. Those silly, goofy moments caught on camera were some of her favorite.

She wanted moments like that with Elliot caught on camera. Sometimes if she could videotape it all, she would. She had never been as happy and as carefree as when she was with him. Hence her ending up as a model in a photo shoot for a clothing line.

Sometimes she couldn't believe this was the life she was actually living.

"You're a natural, Liv," she heard from somewhere behind the camera. Her smile broadened at her boyfriend's voice and the photographer snapped several shots of the natural smile.

"So I've been told." Elliot came into view on her right. He had changed into another outfit. This was his fourth of the day while it was her third and last of the day. He had done a suit as his first outfit. His second look was sporty, sporting tailored sweatpants and a fitted T-shirt with TK's logo on it. His third look was casual formal, a pair of slacks with a deep blue sweater. This look was also casual; the same pair of jeans with a fitted but slightly loose T-shirt with a small logo on the upper left of the chest. "You look very comfortable."

He looked over her dress. The fit was tight on her body but not too tight that it was wholly uncomfortable. The skirt portion was solid black while the front of the top was white. The thin straps and the back of the top were solid black. If she was out shopping with Christina, this was the type of dress she would buy. She was amazed that TK had actually designed this.

"And you look very beautiful," he complimented. "Remind me to take you out to dinner sometime so I can show off to the city."

He turned on the stereo that was sitting along the far wall and began to dance as music filled the room. She chuckled at him. She had only seen him dance around the kitchen while he made dinner before. They had been talking about going dancing sometime but so far it hadn't happened. Seeing him now, she was thankful they hadn't.

"You look ridiculous," she called over to him, laughing while she watched him. He danced his way over to her, taking her hand and spinning her around.

"Good." He dipped her and wagged his eyebrows. "You should look ridiculous with me."

She giggled at his actions but happily followed his moves. He was rapidly making all of her cares disappear with every dance move. She could hear their laughter in her ears and it made her heart warm. The cold that had taken over it for the last two weeks was being pushed out, no longer taking residence in every nook and cranny. She let herself be spun around and dipped. She let the music free her.

"Have I told you today how happy I am that you're back?" she murmured to him after rising from a dip.

He played it cool. "Well, maybe once but I wasn't really feeling the authenticity of your words."

She slapped his shoulder with a broad smile. Her forehead came to rest against the side of his face. She pulled his arm around her waist and gently rested her other on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead, his lips barely skimming the skin there.

"I'm really glad that I'm back, too."

'I love you' was on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't bring the words to leave her mouth. What if he didn't feel the same? What if this was just another relationship to him? This was the real deal for her. She never let anyone inside her heart but Elliot had easily weaseled his way in. Her boyfriends never lasted more than a few weeks. Elliot was still here and a major part of what made her world turn. She had never had this with another person. They seemed to know what the other was thinking. They could finish each other's sentences. They could joke around with each other as if they had been doing it for years.

She would bet money on the fact that he was the one for her.

"Elliot," she started. Her eyes met his and she was blown away by what she saw there. She had no doubt he could see the same thing in her eyes.

"I think your phone's ringing."

She blinked. Not exactly the declaration of love she had been waiting for.

"What?" she asked, not hearing him the first time.

He pointed over to where her bag was. "Your phone's ringing."

She looked over where his finger was pointing as her brain connected the dots. She moved away from him and hurried over to her bag. She was still on call today technically. The case wasn't completely closed though Olivia desperately wished it would be soon. Fishing through her purse she quickly located her phone.

"Benson," she answered. She listened with her index finger pressed against her other ear so she could hear her captain. "Yeah, I can come in right now. It'll be about a half hour or so. Okay, yes, I'll be there."

She felt Elliot's presence behind her as she closed her phone. She hadn't even noticed the music turning off or the photographer leaving the room. She tossed her phone back into her purse before turning around to face him. "I have to go into work."

He smiled grimly. "I figured. Want me to give you a lift there?"

She chuckled at him. "We took a cab here."

He shrugged and played it off. "Yeah, so? I can't escort you and make sure you get there safely?"

Her high heeled feet stepped closer to him. "Thank you for the offer but I'll be fine." She kissed him softly. "Besides, you're not done here. TK needs you more than I do."

His arms wrapped around her neck, pulling her all the way into him. "Call me when you're done?"

She nodded before leaning in to kiss him. She wasn't a PDA kind of girl but she found that she couldn't help it with Elliot.

She was drawn into him like a magnet.

* * *

**A/N:** I wanted to see if anyone had any ideas for future chapters, aside from them finally doing the deed. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, they will be greatly appreciated and considered :)


	16. Lovesong

;)

* * *

Elliot knocked on the door of Olivia's apartment. She had left for work around three thirty. It was almost six now. He had been staring at his phone the entire time in between, waiting to see her name on the screen. They'd been having such a great time. He had pictured them going out to dinner or back to his place to spend the rest of the evening. Hopefully things would have progressed further until they finally reached that step that eluded them. Three weeks apart had put a lot of things into perspective for him.

He'd been in a loveless relationship too long with Andrea. He should have ended it long before he did but he'd been too lazy. Too lazy to search for someone better. But the day he met Olivia he knew that he had waited long enough. Of course he didn't know if he'd ever see Olivia again at that time but he knew he'd go out of his way to seek her out.

The minute he walked away from their first date he knew she was the one for him. She was it. There was no more searching to be done. His life had been complete the minute he stopped the football from slamming into her six months ago. People would probably call him crazy but he could feel it in his bones.

He wanted to tell her he loved her so badly but he didn't want to freak her out if she wasn't there yet. But if his instincts were right, she loved him, too. He had seen it in her eyes earlier. He had a feeling it was just going to be who beat the other to it first.

He could hear the sound of locks turning and the chain being removed. Seconds later, he was face to face with his girlfriend. She smiled upon seeing him but he could see that it didn't light up her face like it normally did.

"Hey," he greeted with a kiss. "I thought you were gonna call."

She pulled him inside and shut the door behind them. "I'm sorry. I didn't think I'd be the best company right now. How'd you know I was here?"

"I called work," he explained. "Your partner picked up and told me you had gone home a little after five."

She smiled involuntarily. "You could be a detective."

"I think I'll stick to my day job," he grinned. He took her hand into his, tugging to get her to look at him. She did but somewhat hesitantly he noticed. Her eyes didn't look like they normally did. In fact…she looked like she was about to cry.

"Have you been crying?" Elliot asked softly, his voice conveying his concern. He'd never seen her cry before. Well, except for the few tears on their first date when she told him about her mother.

"No, I'm fine," she tried to brush off. She tried to discreetly wipe at her eyes with her other hand but he grabbed it before she could.

"Liv, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Elliot." She ripped her hands out of his and stomped off toward the couch. He stared after her, frozen in confusion. He didn't know whether to push the issue or let her have the space she obviously wanted.

'Eh, screw it.'

As if he was afraid of startling her for fear that would dart off like an antelope, he slowly lowered himself next to her on the couch. He resisted the urge to touch her just yet. He wanted to fully gauge her mood first.

"Olivia, tell me what's wrong," he murmured.

His words seemed to break her like a dam after a typhoon. Her face crumpled up, her eyes trying desperately not to release her tears. Her hands covered her face as her body rocked slowly back and forth. He palm skimmed up the length of her back, trying to help her draw strength from him. Demons were plaguing her and he wanted nothing more than to help but the words eluded him. He knew her struggles had to be with her job but it was killing him he couldn't help her with her pain.

Slowly, he moved her body toward his, settling her into his side. His arms wrapped around her as her sobs started. He rocked them back and forth, trying to ease her pain with his comfort. It killed him to see her like this. As a rule, he didn't like seeing females cry. It was uncomfortable and awkward and he never knew exactly what to do. But to see Olivia like this…. For someone as strong as her, it took a lot to reduce her to this.

"Tell me what's wrong, baby," he whispered close to her ear.

Her sobs remained prevalent and for a while he thought he was never going to draw the issue out of her. But finally, in a soft hitched voice, she began to confess.

"I don't know if I can do this."

He pulled back slightly in confusion. "What? What are you talking about?"

"I don't know if I can do this job." She shook her head but she had yet to look at him. "I didn't know it was going to be this hard. I didn't know it would…it would break my heart this much."

He held her tighter, his heart breaking for her all over again. He couldn't even begin to imagine what she felt. To finally have the job she had dreamed about for years only to start realizing that maybe she wasn't cut out for it after all. That it was too heart wrenching to get through the day without feeling the urge to breakdown.

But he didn't want her to give up on her dream. Back when he first started to play football, he sucked so bad he never saw himself making the team but look where he was now. He knew with time she could be the best there ever was.

"Hey, listen to me," he encouraged. He pulled back to look at her, wanting to see her eyes as he spoke to her. She tried to avoid eye contact, probably to keep him from seeing her crying, but he wouldn't be deterred. He held her chin gently between his thumb and index finger, his other hand rubbing the soft skin of her neck. "Nothing's easy when someone first tries it. This job is like a new job entirely. You're not dealing with the same drug dealers and domestic disturbance calls every day. You don't see the same idiot kids pulling the same stupid stunts every week. You meet a new special victim every day and they each have a devastating story that never should have happened in the first place. I'm not saying this job is gonna be easy; it shouldn't be easy. No one should have to see what you see every day. But it'll get easier. It may take a while but it will. You just need to build up experience first. You are so much braver than me, Liv. I don't know that I could ever do your job. But they need you to do this job. The victims need you on their side. I have no doubt that you can relate to them on some level. I bet you make them feel safe, like they have a friend when everyone else has turned their back on 'em."

She stared back at him like she doubted his words but she surprised him by wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly to her. He grinned in her hair, knowing his words had made the impact he was looking for.

"You always know just what to say to me," she murmured next to his ear, her lips barely touching the lobe.

"That's my job," he shrugged.

She pulled herself back from him. He was hesitant to let her go, though, so he kept his arms around her waist. She wiped her eyes with her hands, sniffling and looking adorable as she composed herself. He knew without a doubt just how much she hated looking vulnerable to people. She hadn't come right out and said that but it was obvious from the way she carried herself and everything else he knew about her. He was just glad that he could see this side of her, as much as she hated to show it.

He brushed some hair back from her forehead. "Just give the job six months, a year," he asked of her. "If you still think you can't handle it then go back to your old unit or transfer to another. I don't want you to give up now. I don't want you to regret it for the rest of your life."

She nodded, her eyes level with his. "I will. I'll give it… six months from right now."

He smiled, his pleasure clearly written on his face. She smiled at him. Her eyes were red and slightly puffy from crying but to him she looked gorgeous. She chuckled at him before colliding back into his arms, her face pressed against his shirt.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you but I'm really glad I have you," she said, her voice somewhat in awe. "Here I was feeling so sorry for myself and ready to just quit but you made everything better with just a few words."

"It's just one of my many talents that have yet to be displayed."

She glanced up at him with a glint in her eye. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, that's so." Her personality was returning, much to his relief. "Now, I don't know about you but I'm hungry. You wanna go get something to eat?"

"No, I've had enough takeout in the last few weeks to last me the rest of my life."

"How 'bout we make dinner?"

"I don't have any food," she grinned sheepishly.

"So we'll go get some and then make dinner together," he suggested.

E

O

"I don't think I've ever enjoyed grocery shopping before," Olivia mused over her glass of wine. She watched as Elliot flipped the steaks, content to sit back and let him take over this part. He had cooked for her on several occasions and her for him on a few but they had never made a meal together. It was nice and very domestic of them.

He leaned over to where she was leaning against the counter and kissed her lips. He smiled infectiously at her, making a grin appear on her face at the sight of his. "That's because you've never been shopping with me before."

"Clearly I've been missing out on one of the great wonders of the world," she teased with that grin of hers.

He winked at her and turned back to watching the food. "So what's been going on in the last couple of weeks I've been out of town?"

"Elliot," she sighed, sensing an alternative reason behind his question. "I told you I don't want to talk about the case."

"Hey, hey," he stopped her quickly, one hand held up in defense. "I was just asking about your life. I just want you to talk to me."

She just stared at him.

"You know what I've been doing for the last few weeks and I can only talk about that for so long so that only leaves you talking about your life."

She stared at him some more. She knew she was still sensitive from earlier, her tears and frustration still fresh in her mind, but she wasn't used to someone calling her on her bullshit.

"My partner keeps teasing me about you," she spoke softly, taking a sip of wine. "Somehow he always seems to catch me when I'm on the phone with you. He almost started in on twenty questions the other day."

He grinned. "Does he know who I am or is he just bustin' your chops?"

"All he knows is your name is Elliot. He's just giving me a hard time like partners do. Frank used to do it to me all the time but he was more of an annoying older brother. Murphy I don't know about yet."

"Do you ever tell people about work about me?" he wondered, somewhat curious as to why he'd never met anyone she worked with.

She shrugged. "It hasn't really come up yet. And I'm never really sure if you want me to tell them about who you are. It's just… I'm new there and New York football fans are crazy. I'm okay with Murphy knowing because I feel like he won't take it overboard but I don't know about everyone else."

"So you're not ashamed of me?" he half teased. She laughed and bumped her hip into his.

"No, not at all. I," _love you_ her mind finished. Her voice quickly changed direction. "You're too wonderful to be ashamed of. You have nothing to worry about."

"Good." He was satisfied with her answer. He could understand where she was coming from. She wasn't deliberately telling people but she wasn't necessarily hiding it. It was kind of a relief to be dating someone who wasn't absorbed in his fame, telling everyone who would give her the time of day. "So what else happened? How's Christina doing?"

He transferred the steaks to two separate plates. Olivia moved in and completed the plates with the rest of their meals.

"Better, her ankle is pretty much fully healed. She's already itching to hit up the bars and clubs again. Mmm, and she said she wants to go with me to whichever home game I can make it to."

"We have a game in two days," he reminded. "How 'bout that one?"

She nodded. "I'll call her and tell her. And I really don't want any fancy treatment."

"You mean I can't put you up in the team's box where the cameras zoom in on you for the whole world to see?" he acted.

"No," she answered emphatically but with a smile. She stole a kiss as she scooted past him. "Just normal seats wherever."

"Don't worry; I have the perfect seats for you." Each player was allotted two tickets per game for their family. Elliot had already expressed, on numerous occasions, how badly he wanted her at some of the home games. She had promised she would attend whenever she could but that he needed to be aware that her job was always unpredictable. And she couldn't exactly kiss up to the captain and request nearly every Sunday off when she just started the job a couple of months ago.

They settled in at her kitchen table. Olivia had found candles earlier to light to give them a more romantic ambiance. He sipped from his wine glass while he watched her dig into her meal. Breakfast had been a muffin from Starbucks on the way to the studio earlier. While he'd had a sandwich since then, he doubted she had eaten at all. He was coming to find that not eating was becoming a trend when she was focused. He had called her once during one of her first cases. Her words had been sluggish and, after a bit of cajoling, she had finally admitted that she couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten.

"I missed this," he murmured, smiling across at her. She grinned as she cut a piece out of her steak. "I missed home cook meals…"

"You say that as if I cook for you all the time," she interrupted with a sarcastic smirk. He returned it as he dug into his own steak.

"I missed listening to you interrupt me all the time." She stuck her tongue out at him. "I missed you smiling at me and just hearing you talk."

"El, we talked almost every day you were away," she reminded him with a laugh.

"I know but it's not the same as talking to you in person. In person, I can gage your mood more and look into your eyes."

She stared at him, her eyes amused by what he was telling her. On the outside, Elliot looked like any other male – like he wanted to be treated as a tough, macho male. But away from prying eyes, he was the sweetest, gentlest man she had ever met. They had only barely raised their voices at each once but Olivia was far from naïve thinking full blown yelling would never happen. He was being patient with her. Most men would have turned the other way by now. He was always surprising her and she only hoped that she was doing the same for him.

"You sound like such a girl right now," she teased. She was relieved when he rolled his eyes at her. She had had a boyfriend in college who thought he was the ultimate alpha male. He had more hair products than she had ever owned in her life. One day when she chose to comment on it, he had gotten angry and that had been the end to their relationship. Though it wasn't exactly a relationship she thought was going to last more than three months, it had always stayed in the back of her mind. It was just her sense of humor. She needed someone who could handle that and match it barb for barb.

"Maybe I do but it's true," he admitted. "I'm a sucker for pretty eyes."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You know you're already dating me. There's no need to woo me anymore."

He reached across and grabbed her hand. "Hey, if I don't continue to woo you, then you might lose interest in me. Some other guy might come along and snatch you up."

She squeezed his hand. He always scared the crap out of her when he said things like that.

"There's no need to worry about that just yet," she whispered, trying to keep things light but feeling like her world was soaring and it wasn't coming down any time soon.

"Just yet?" he repeated with raised brows. His eyes sparkled, though, telling her he knew she was just teasing. "There something I gotta worry about?"

"No," she assured. "Just keeping you on your toes."

He nodded his acknowledgement, a sound coming from the back of his throat as he smirked at her.

They made small talk through the rest of dinner. It was a relief that it came so easy. They switched from topic to topic. One minute they were talking about her job then his, and then they were talking about the latest movies out. Somehow they stumbled on the subject of the school system before somehow segueing to the anchors on the nightly news. No topic was ever untouched. They didn't dive too deep most times but just the thought that anything was on the table was comforting.

She'd had boyfriend once where their relationship was nothing but physical. It wasn't the worst but it wasn't something she was seeking out now. She was thirty years old. She wanted to find her true love and be calm and content for the rest of her days.

Elliot's thoughts ran along the same lines. It was a relief to be dating someone so articulate and able to form an original thought. He had had a lot of temptation thrown in his face, a few one night stands he regretted now. At the time, it had been amazing and exhilarating. Now he looked back on his younger years with a bit of shame but he was only human. It wasn't as though he was the only man to go through a wild period. And being a pro football player hadn't helped. But he was older now and he could see the error of his ways. He was tired of finding the company of women that only wanted to be with someone to be famous. At thirty three he was finally looking to settle down but he knew all about the downfalls of NFL relationships.

Most of the relationships failed for a variety of reasons. There was cheating on the road; numerous women made themselves available and some men always fell victim to it. There were men in relationships for the wrong reason. Some women just wanted the fame and if she was attractive enough, most of the guys didn't mind giving her the luxury for a while. Collapsing marriages happened all the time when the player retired. A lifestyle can't be lived anymore or the woman gets so wrapped up in her husband's job she doesn't know how to be anything other than Mrs. NFL.

Elliot didn't want that to happen to him.

He knew Olivia had her head on her shoulders. He was fairly positive she could care less about how much money he made. After all, she was a cop. If she was after money he was pretty sure she would have chosen another profession. She was already in the public eye being a detective for the New York City police department so she was somewhat used to the media being in her face. But he knew she detested it, tried hard not to be in the background when the news decided to pay attention to the latest special victim.

Those qualities were both major pluses.

She could handle his job, so far at least, and he was fairly confident he could handle hers. Yes sir, it was looking like a match made in heaven.

"You wanna watch a movie?" she asked after they finished the dishes. He nodded and she left to make a selection.

He settled on the couch next to her, stretching his arm along the back of the couch. He smirked as 'Be my Baby' started to play. One of the first things he had learned about her was how much she loved the movie Dirty Dancing. She cuddled into him, curling her feet up on the couch and settling in to relax for a few hours.

E

O

"I'm gonna get some water," he said about an hour into the movie. "You want anything?"

"Some water sounds good."

She watched as he made his way to the kitchen. She loved watching his smiling face walk towards her but she loved to watch him walk away too. She chuckled to herself. The man just got more and more beautiful every day.

Every day it got harder and harder to keep her feelings to herself. Often she found herself wanting to call him and blurt out 'I love you' but that was really the sort of thing done in person for the first time. She had never felt this way before.

There wasn't a doubt in her mind that she loved him, was in love with him.

But now she just had to scrounge up enough courage to tell him how she felt.

There was always the fear that he wouldn't feel the same way or he wouldn't say it back. But the man was still hanging around after four months and they hadn't even had sex yet. He had to feel the same way.

He handed her a glass of water. She thanked him before taking a sip. He resumed his seat beside her, sipping at his own glass of water. His eyes were on the movie playing in front of them but her eyes remained on his face.

"I love you."

It felt like they were in a movie and someone watching the scene before them pressed paused. Elliot's glass of water remained poised at his lips, ready to take a drink but no water was going down. Her breathing had slowed down, ready to hear whatever he had to say. If he had anything to say.

He cleared his throat. "Is that what they're saying instead of 'thank you' these days?" he tried to joke. She could see his Adam's apple bob while he slowly placed his water on the coffee table. He looked startled, like the last thing he was expecting was to hear her say 'I love you.' Hell, it was the last thing she expected to say.

Her heart constricted a little bit but she didn't let it deter her.

"I don't care if you don't say it back right now but I just had to let you know," she admitted. Although she'd be lying to herself if she said she didn't want to hear him repeat it at some point soon. Her water joined his on the table. She angled her body towards his, her hand seeking his out. She breathed deeply, trying to figure out how to voice what was in her heart. "I would have quit tomorrow if not for you. You know exactly what I need to hear. I love how much fun we have together. I love who I am with you. I wish we would've met sooner so we could have had this all along."

He smiled at her and cupped her chin in his free hand. "But we have this now and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world," he admitted in a soft voice.

"Not even another super bowl win?" she teased with a coy grin.

"Well…maybe," he pretended to think about it. His thumb caressed her face, his eyes like pools of tranquility. He slowly leaned forward until his lips pressed against hers. "But the trophy isn't as warm to sleep next to."

She laughed, her chin dropping to her chest. His hand escaped from her grasp only to find its way to her face.

"And, in case you're wondering," he whispered, "I love you, too."

A smile blossomed onto her face. Her cheekbones hurt from how wide it was.

"That's good to know," she forced in a whisper.

She could feel her eyes tearing up but she forced them away. His lips touched hers again, this time nipping at her lower lip. He kept it light, not putting much pressure with it. Her arms stretched across his shoulders. She pressed her forehead against his, reveling in the feel of him in her arms.

She felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She'd never told someone she loved them. Well, never told someone and actually really meant it.

He started to pull back, slowly and hesitantly, but she followed him.

"You don't want to finish watching the movie?" he wondered, pointing back at the TV. She just shook her head. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth, pondering. She stared at him for a long moment, trying to get all her thoughts in a row.

Like in slow motion, Olivia stood and pulled Elliot up with her. He looked confused when she turned the TV off. His face retained that look when she started walking, his hands in hers. Recognition ignited when she led him the short way to her bedroom.

He thought about asking her if she was serious, but he didn't want to ruin the moment. Ever since they'd been interrupted last month by her phone ringing, he'd been dying for this moment. He'd thought of ways to recreate that moment. They'd had at least half a dozen since it first happened but for various reasons they had never gone all the way. Now that it looked like it might actually happen, he didn't want to say anything that might ruin the moment.

It didn't seem like this was actually happening. Maybe she just wanted to go to bed. He glanced down at his watch. Nine fifty-four. She probably hadn't had much sleep in the last few days but he doubted she was ready for bed just yet. She was a bit of an insomniac as he'd come to discover. Sometimes, when they didn't sleep over together, he would get texts from her in the middle of the night, usually around one or one thirty. It would usually be about something random, something that just popped into her head and she just had to share for no real reason. Usually by the time she sent him the text there was no real hope of her getting sleep that night.

He had noticed that when she slept over, or vice versa, she was usually knocked out in less than a half hour from the time they crawled into bed. He felt manly pride at that, at the fact that his presence soothed her into sleep.

She turned on the bedside lamp but it didn't fully light the room. It gave out just enough light to see by. She turned around to face him, a smile on her face. Her hands found their way to his chest, flattening her palms against his abdomen. She could feel his stomach moving in short bursts.

"I think," she spoke slowly, "that this is finally the right moment for us. I'm tired of interruptions, of work, of everything stopping what I'm feeling."

His hands moved until they found hers. Their fingers laced together. Their bodies pressed close together, their stomachs touching.

"So am I," he whispered. He leaned his head down until he found her lips. He applied ample pressure to this kiss, his emotions spilling out before he could stop them. He didn't want to stop them.

He wanted her to know how much he loved her.

His fingers untangled from hers slowly and made their way along her sides. They danced along her shirt, gradually adding more pressure as they traveled lower until reaching her waistline. His fingers tangled in the fabric. His nails skimmed her soft skin, drawing chills from her body. Her arms stretched along his shoulders again, squeezing, more than content to let him explore. This part wasn't new to them but it didn't make the process any less nerve wracking.

She walked backwards until she felt her bed against the back of her knees. She toppled backward, taking him with him. She heard his laughter in her ear and couldn't help but chuckle along with her.

"Why do I feel like you're telling me to hurry up?" he teased. She crawled backward on the bed until her head was resting against her pillows. She smiled down at him as he followed the path of her body.

"Well, it has been four months of foreplay," she reminded. He placed kisses along her abdomen where her shirt had risen up but the feel of her hands pulling his face up changed his direction. He settled into the crevice her legs made, her warmth seeping through as one leg winded together with one of his. His mouth found hers, willingly handing over any control he may have had. Their tongues mingled together, dueling for control but never gaining it for long enough.

Her hands danced down until they were at the hem of his T-shirt. One of her favorite parts was undressing him. She loved removing the fabric and running her fingers along the muscles of his body, memorizing the ridges and dips as she went along. She pulled the thin fabric up and off before flinging it to the floor. Her fingers danced along his chest, refreshing her memory before moving on to his stomach.

She loved the feel of him beneath her fingertips. It was amazing she had been able to wait this long before taking this step. With the exception of losing her virginity, it was by far the longest she had waited for any man. There was something different about Elliot. Something that made her take her time, be patient because she knew he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. This was the most sure she'd ever felt, when she was with him.

She was disappointed when Elliot's lips left hers but he quickly attached them to the side of her neck. He worked his way around her jaw, making sure no patch of skin went untouched. Her fingernails scraped and clawed lightly down his sides, something she had come to find he loved. She paused a moment before dragging her hands around to the buckle on his belt. She deftly undid the buckle and button before making short work of the zipper. She was pushing his shorts down when he finally seemed aware of what was happening.

He looked down at her with a silly grin. "How come I always seem to lose my clothes first?"

"Maybe you're no good at multitasking," she teased.

"Oh, I can multitask," he assured. "I just like taking my time. Sometimes."

She kissed him, trying to thoroughly distract him while she finished removing his shorts. He was easily distracted she had come to find, which would probably be very useful in the future.

"Maybe we can save taking our time for next time," she suggested seductively.

He shook his head. "I've been waiting too long for this to not make this perfect."

He kicked his shorts to the floor before focusing on making her equally as bare. He made quick work of her shirt, not taking the time to be overly romantic about it. She had shown her cards and he didn't want to disappoint. He didn't want to rush through this, ending months of desire, but he didn't want to move too slow like a virgin on prom night.

She shed her bra, not wanting to waste any time. His lips scaled down her neck before pausing a moment on her clavicle. She moaned when his tongue found a spot she liked. Her legs wrapped around his waist, keeping him pressed close to her lest he get too far away. He moved further down her body. He pressed light kisses to her skin around her chest, ignoring her breasts until finally she guided him towards them. He withheld a chuckle before settling his mouth over an erect nipple. She groaned from the sensation, pleasure flooding throughout her entire body. One hand closed over her other breast, making sure it didn't go without attention, while the other ventured down to seek out her heat. Her hips arched up into him, silently begging him to keep doing that.

Her hands moved to the button on her jeans, quickly undoing them and the zipper before hastily pushing them off her hips. He would have laughed at her eagerness if he could catch his breath long enough to do so. He switched his mouth to her other nipple, making sure to pay the same attention there. Her fingernails scratched against his scalp, encouraging him even more. He rolled his tongue back and forth across her nipple. Her thighs squeezed tight against him while her fingers pulled gently at his hair. Her hips arched up into him, grinding against his crotch. He suppressed a groan as he felt his erection grow even harder.

Reluctantly he released her breasts, placing final kisses to the sensitive underside before lovingly making his way further down her body. He traced patterns on her stomach with his tongue. His fingers tickled against her sides, his light touch making her giggle.

"I hate when you do that," she half giggled half groaned. He smiled up at her, only stopping his exploration for a second.

"No, you don't."

She raised a brow. "What makes you say that?"

"Because every time I do it you laugh and squirm, but you pull at my hair or dig your fingers into my arm. Those are things you only do when I'm on the right track to something you like," he informed her smartly. She twisted his hair playfully but couldn't find anything to say. She hated when he was right.

"Yeah well," she searched for something to say. She gave his head a playful push downward, "why don't you focus your attention elsewhere now?"

"I'm gettin' there, woman," he grinned. "Have a little faith."

His fingers dipped to her center again, applying pressure on the outside of her lacy red underwear. Her hips shot up as a loud moan escaped her mouth. Her eyes slipped shut as he began dragging the bikini underwear off her hips and down her legs. Goosebumps covered her body at the anticipation.

"Is this what you want?" he whispered devilishly. She nodded rapidly, unable to form words. Her eyes were hooded with her desire. She watched in anticipation while he settled his body between her legs. She could feel her breathing stop and speed up at the same time, not sure which direction to take.

His fingers traced patterns against her stomach, her thighs. She groaned when he put his lips to her hip.

"Elliot," she drew out. Her fingers tangled with the sheets and her legs squirmed against his body.

"Patience," he reminded. His hands skimmed across her legs firmly, his lips pressing kisses everywhere but where she wanted them.

"Four months, El," she reminded. "Four months of wondering, waiting, hoping for…"

"This?" he wondered. His tongue ventured south, lapping at her clitoris a few times before he glanced up at her. Her body was tense on the bed, her eyes shut and her chest rising and falling rapidly. Grinning, he knew he wouldn't get an answer out of her. He continued his ministrations, sucking and licking in all the right places. If men across the country were surveyed about what they liked least about sex, this would probably be at the top of the list. But not for Elliot. It was one of his favorite parts. There was nothing like a woman ready and wanting, nothing like her arousal to make him even more turned on. Nothing like having her at his mercy, writhing in pleasure beneath him as he gave her what she wanted.

He brought his fingers into play, running one along her folds. He could hear her moaning softly, her breathy pants encouraging him to do more to bring her closer to the edge. He inserted one finger then two, slowly pumping as his tongue continued to work against her. Her fingers knotted in his hair, pulling to the point that it almost hurt. It only turned him on more.

He could tell she was getting close. Her moans were growing practically silent but her breathing was coming faster. He worked faster, increasing the friction. Her inner walls were clenching around his fingers. She had to be close; he was sure he'd be missing patches of hair when he looked in a mirror later.

Her hips shot up off the bed and her legs clenched around his shoulders but he pulled her back down. Her moan was long and drawn out. Her legs felt like jelly beneath his hands. He helped her ride it out, keeping up his rhythm until he felt the spasms cease. Her body went slack against the mattress, her arms spread out across the pillows, eyes shut. He crawled up her body, kissing his way up to her lips.

"You," he dropped a kiss to her belly button, "are a very," a kiss to her breast, "very," a kiss to her other breast, "gorgeous woman, Olivia Benson."

His mouth found hers, taking claim over it. His lips were slick with her secretions but it didn't deter either one of them. She opened her mouth deep to him. She pressed his body tightly to hers, her arms wrapping securely around his shoulders. Her legs were still a little weak but she wrapped them firmly high around his waist.

"I want these off," she murmured into his mouth, toeing his briefs. She glanced downward. By now, they looked very uncomfortable. She could see his erection bulging in the front. One of her hands skated down his front until she palmed him, running her hand around the length of him through the fabric.

He obliged to her wishes, pulling away long enough to wiggle out of them with her help. Her hand found him again, running her palm along the bare flesh for the first time. He grunted and jerked his hips into her hand. She pulled, hard a few times before gently stroking him. He thrust into her hand a few times, any control he had unable to stop him.

His eyes fluttered shut from the feel. "Liv, keep that up long and this is never gonna happen," he threatened somewhat seriously. He was already on edge from watching her but now she was threatening to end their fun early.

Wordlessly but with a sparkle in her eye she guided him to her entrance. Their eyes stared at one another while he entered her for the first time. Their eyes never faltered for the first few thrusts. Her soft moans filled his head as he hit just the right spot.

It was surreal, like he was watching from above at his fantasy come alive. The sight of her beneath him was beautiful. Her hair was fanned out on her light blue pillow case. His lips found that sensitive spot on her neck again, eliciting a long, low moan from her.

Elliot reached down to hook one of her legs around his waist, wanting his thrust to go even deeper. He could feel her warmth surrounding him with every move, pushing him closer and closer to the edge. Her other leg hooked around his waist again, clenching her muscles around him.

She opened her eyes, unaware she had even closed them, when she felt his lips at her breast. She put a hand on the back of his head to hold him there, thoroughly enjoying the attention he was paying her. His rhythm increased slightly, his thrusts coming faster and a little more erratic. He could feel his orgasm building and he knew this wasn't going to last as long as he wanted it to. He could only hope she wasn't far behind.

He brought his lips back to hers, kissing her deeply, tongue dueling with hers. He could feel her inner walls clenching around him. His pace faltered a little and he squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself not to come too early.

Her hips thrust up to meet his while she begged him to do that again. He obliged by her wishes, gratefully hitting whatever spot hit good for her.

"Liv, this probably won't last as long as we want it to," he warned when her walls clenched around him again.

"It's okay," she promised breathlessly. Normally this part did not come easy for her, no pun intended. It took time for her to hit the right rhythm, the right angle. Most men never even found it. It was usually up to her later to finish the job the man was nowhere near completing. That she'd even had one orgasm already and was rapidly approaching her second was something to put down in her record books.

His lips latched around a nipple while his hand made its way down her body until he reached the bundle of nerves. She arched upward, quietly begging him to keep doing what he was doing. His thrusts hit deeper and deeper, his breathing staggering before he saw stars before his eyes.

E

O

"What in the hell made you get this?" Olivia wondered, pointing at the tattoo on his left hip. She settled the sheet around her, curling her arm around her pillow.

He chuckled, glancing down at the butterfly tattoo that resided there.

"As you can probably guess, alcohol was involved," he laughed. She laughed softly alongside him. He pulled the sheet up around his waist. This right here was one of his top fantasies: being in bed with Olivia Benson. Naked.

"So you were in college since that's usually when bad decisions and alcohol are frequently mixed," she guessed. He nodded.

"Yeah, long story short a lot of pranks were played between me and my buddies on the football team. See, all the athletes were in one dorm. Something about making sure we stayed focus on keeping each other focused on school work. Anyway, I think it all started when my buddy Brad put shaving cream all over one of the guy's rooms. There was the obvious retaliation – packing peanuts in a couple guys' rooms and one of the bathrooms, stapling cups to the ceiling. You know, the usual."

She eyed him with a barely concealed smirk. "You have never been more attractive," she teased with a straight face.

"Hey, I wasn't even the one that started it but I was the only one that got a permanent reminder of those days," he defended. "I don't even remember all that happened that day but I remember I was definitely drunk. The next morning I woke up with a tattoo on my hip."

"Who would do something like that? Especially when you were drunk."

He shrugged. "Some guy down the hall had a kit because he wanted to be a tattoo artist. And he is now, actually. He has a shop in Noho now. He did the cross on my arm after we graduated."

She curled up into him, his arms wrapping around her frame and keeping her warm. She yawned, the past few days, maybe even weeks, finally catching up to her. She was satiated and warm and peaceful.

"You keep surprising me, Elliot Stabler. Not many men would walk around with a butterfly on their hip."

"At the time I was pissed," he admitted, his chin resting on the top of her head. "But when I see it now it just reminds me of all the good times I had back then."

Her leg slipped in between his, assuming the comfortable position she always sought when they slept together. She felt his lips on her forehead, a pleasant hum coming from the back of her throat at the feel. She felt like her world had slowed down, the world she had been used to – the waiting, missed opportunities, frustration – finally drifting away as the earth settled into its normal rotation. She could feel his chest rising and falling steadily as he settled in for the night. Her fingers smoothed across the sensitive skin on his side, tracing tiny patterns on his ribs.

"Still," she murmured after some time had passed. "Seems like you need some better tattoos to make up for that one."

"I'll get a new one when you get one," he challenged. She wisely chose not to respond.

His body shifted, a long arm reaching down to grab the comforter at their feet. He draped it around them, knowing she'd get cold soon enough. She murmured her thanks as she resumed her position. Her lips were pressed against his neck, warm puffs of breath sending chills down his spine.

He wanted to stay in this moment for the rest of his life. He knew without a doubt that if he died tomorrow he could call himself the happiest man alive.

"Hey Liv?" he whispered.

"Hmm?" She was on the verge of sleep so he spoke fast.

"I love you."

He felt her lips curl against his neck.

"I love you, too."


End file.
